


Born to Swing

by TheGreatMisty



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Dancing Lessons, M/M, Minami is an extra barkeep, Mutual Pining, Pining Yuuri, Pining victor, Swing Dancing, a lot of fluff, club owner yuuri, doesn't play a big role in the work, electric dancing, minor Chris and Phichit, victor is a surgeon, will probably add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2020-07-23 07:49:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20004826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatMisty/pseuds/TheGreatMisty
Summary: Victor works himself to the bone and seldom does anything for himself. Chris takes him out to a club where he sees Yuuri dancing and is starstruck. He wants to dance with Yuuri, so he asks him to teach him. Things escalate from there (: I suck at summaries, my apologies.





	1. Night Out

“So Victor, any grand plans for this evening?” Chris looked up to his best friend over the drape between them. “Mmm” Victor hummed in response, focus still on the patient in front of him. Chris laughed, “I’ll take that as a no for now.” “Oh Chris, you know how delicate this procedure is. I would appreciate it if you would wait to start conversation until after I have removed this woman’s tumor.” 

Waiting for the fine doctor to remove the woman’s tumor as instructed, Chris watches in revery as his friend does what he does best. Help others. He has always held Victor in high regard for his dedication to helping others, he just wishes he did the same for himself more often. After the tumor was safely removed and the patient stitched up, Chris began the process of waking her. “I’m going to bring her ‘round. We all good?” Victor heaved a sigh and looked up to his best friend, “Yeah we’re good. Go ahead, Chris.” 

“Marvelous work as always, doc” the nurse in the room commented with a smile, “we’ll inform you when she wakes so you can discuss her healing time and anything else.” 

“Thank you,” Victor said to the nurse then began removing his gloves from his hands and his cover garment in short accord. Chris closed in behind him on the way out of the operating room asking again, “So, do you have any plans?” 

Victor rolled his eyes to the ceiling, “No, I haven’t got any plans for this evening beyond taking Makka for a walk when I get home and maybe a drink before the weekend, why?” He looked over to Chris then, waiting for the invitation to some club that was bound to come from him any second. 

“Well if that’s the case, what about going out with me this evening after walking her?” Chris smiled at Victor with too many teeth. Victor instantly grew suspicious of the question. “Come on, Victor, it’s my treat tonight. You hardly ever take a load off and you’re always working hard. You deserve an evening of fun and dance.”

Victor couldn’t deny that a night out was well overdue for him, but he was tired and really just wanted to laze in bed with his poodle before he had to start on his paperwork for the weekend. 

Suspicious as he was because Chris still had a mischievous grin on his face, he relented. “Very well, but I will not stay out long this evening. I truly am tired and would like to rest up before returning to the clinic next week.”

Chris beamed at his best friend, clapping him on the shoulder. “Marvelous, _mon cheri_ , I promise you won’t regret it!” Victor smiled at him, then went on to the board with the remainder of the cases for the day and sighed. One more surgery for him this afternoon and then he could go home. His next one looked to be easy. A benign tumor in the left arm of a man due to be removed for cautionary reasons. 

Seeing as he had an hour before the procedure was to take place, Victor went up to the lounge area and got some water and sat for a while. The nurse from earlier walked in shortly after he sat down, announcing that his previous patient had woken up and informed him she was ready to speak whenever he was. Thanking her, he took himself down to the recovery wing where the patient was sitting up in her bed. 

Victor smiled to her, “I’m delighted to inform you that the surgery was a success. We removed the tumor completely from your rib cage. It is good that was caught so early on and we were able to safely remove it before any damage could be done to your ribs or lungs.”

The patient appeared to still be slightly drowsy, but she smiled to Victor. Victor rested his hand against hers, “get some rest, the healing process will be easy enough on you. You need a lot of bed rest for the time being. You should be cleared to leave in two days time, and after that, stay off your feet as much as possible.” “I will, thank you, doctor.” Victor smiled down to her again and bade her farewell, heading back to the operating wing to prepare for his final case of the day. 

Chris met him on his walk over and chatted idly as they walked together. Chris went into the room to set up his station and prepare the medications necessary to put the next patient under for their procedure. 

The surgery went without incident as Victor anticipated. Preparing to leave the hospital for the day, Victor expressed his farewells to his coworkers and headed for the changing room. Once inside, Victor removed his scrubs, and placed his work shoes on the rack designated for him. He grabbed his things from his locker and headed out. Before he got far Chris stopped him once more. “I will pick you up at 9:30 tonight. Dress nice, _cheri,_ we’re going dancing.”

The gleam had returned to his friend’s eyes, so Victor just sighed and accepted that his best friend would be taking him out tonight regardless of what he had to say about it. 

* * *

9:30 came faster than Victor would have liked, but he didn’t complain too much as he and Chris walked along together. 

“So where are you taking me tonight, Chris?” Victor looked over to his best friend, trying to decide why he needed to wear a suit. Especially if they were dancing. 

When Chris had arrived he’d tutted at Victor’s chosen jeans and nicer t-shirt and had insisted he put on a suit for the evening. Victor had tried to argue, but he knew when he was fighting a losing battle and it wasn’t worth it to him this evening to argue over what he was wearing to go dancing with his friend. Bidding Makka a good night before leaving, Victor and Chris headed out and began walking. Now that they had been walking for a while and Victor still had no idea where they were going, he was beginning to grow irritable. 

Chris finally looked to Victor, big smile on his face, exclaiming, “Here we are!” Confused, Victor continued to follow him, into a nightclub called “Eros.” 

“I thought you said we were going dancing? This is a nightclub, Chris.” Victor tried to talk to his friend, but his words fell on deaf ears. Already Chris was being drawn in by the strange music being played in the club. “Come on, Victor. You need to relax and have a good night. I found this place not too long ago and the dancing here is an absolute riot! You’ll see what I’m talking about in a moment. Follow me and we’ll get some drinks.” Chris grabbed Victor by the arm and not so subtly dragged him over to where a shorter man smiled up to Chris and asked how he could help them this evening. 

“Oh I believe I will have a gin and tonic and my friend will have a dry vodka martini, stirred.” Chris turned around to smile again at Victor who just rolled his eyes, but accepted the drink thankfully when it was presented to him. 

Chris made short work of his drink and turned back to Victor who was surveying the club. “So when you said we were going dancing, you failed to mention that it was to music I have never heard before. You know I’m not a big fan of electric sounding music, Chris.”

Chris gave Victor his best pouting face and drawled out, “But Viiktor~ it’s so much fun expanding your horizons! Someone has to expose you to new things or you’ll die a boring old man.” Turning back to the bartender, Chris requested a new glass for himself and raised his eyebrows to Victor if he’d like another martini. Victor shook his head and finished off what he had left, handing his glass back to the kind bartender. 

“Chris is right, you know. We wouldn’t want such a beautiful man as yourself wasting away, not having enjoyed all life has to offer. This club offers a modern twist on older music that makes the fast paced dancing all the better.” The bartender smiles over to him, and turns a surprisingly fond gaze over to Chris for a brief moment. 

Victor looks between the pair, slightly off-put. “Oh? So you’ve listed the bartender here to your side and have chosen to gang up on me this evening?” Chris laughed and winked at the bartender before replying to his best friend, “I promise that you’ll have the night of your life if you’ll just look out to the dance floor right now and look at the absolute star of a man who is dominating it.”

Victor huffed out a sigh, but looked to the dance floor to indulge his friend. What did he have to lose? He was out and already one drink into the night. He would not turn down one or two more before bidding his farewells. That is, until he sees the man that Chris must be talking about who is dancing to the music like it lives in his bones. 

Completely enraptured by the sight, Victor is unable to look away from the man who moves to the beat with such grace. His form is a marvel as he draws in the person nearest him to join in his step sequence and twirl them around him before letting go of their hand.

The song that is being played comes to a close and a new one starts not long after. Victor looks on as the clarinet swings up and the drummer keeps a steady beat. The man’s shirt is disheveled clearly from dancing numerous songs but he is glowing with sweat and delight, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. As the song continues to build, so does he. His dark hair hangs around his eyes in sweaty strands and threatens to stick if he ever stands still. He steps to and fro to the beat of the music and reaches out his hand. A gloved hand connects with his and a woman in a shimmering red dress comes into view. The pair stalk each other at arm’s length before stepping in close. As the singer chimes in -

_“There was a cat from Brooklyn, by the name of Romeo -“_

The man spins the woman out and the skirt of her dress fans out

_“His folks they came from Italy, many years ago -“_

Victor watches in awe as the man expertly works the dance floor with his partner. Other dancers give them room or leave the floor to watch the duo. The man twirls his partner around him, her wide skirt flaring around her knees with each spin, shimmering in the lights. He spins her out the length of his arm and as she reaches the end, she lets go, twirling away from him until she stops, facing him a small distance away. Together, they tap out a fast rhythm to the beat of the music, swinging their arms around their person in mirrored movements. Performing a dazzling step sequence, they come back together, shuffling their feet then begin passing beneath one another’s arms in a series of pretzels that leave Victor dizzy. 

Facing each other once again, they begin mirroring one another’s movements again, pointing at each other and taking a step forward at the same time. The man has a big smile on his face that is infectious Victor finds as he is smiling as well. He continues watching the show. The pair dragged their outstretched foot to the side, never breaking eye contact until they turn away at the same time, spinning two circles to reconnect with one another. Together again, the man begins another dazzling tap step sequence, skipping some of his steps, creating a delayed space between their taps. The woman meets him tap for tap, skipping out her steps and together they encompass a large portion of the dance floor before returning to the center. The clicking of their shoes on the floor continues as the pair dance together again, performing a dance that looks like a tango to Victor, but he knows it isn’t. They are moving in circles around each other, the woman kicking her foot up behind him every so often, and him jumping up and twirling her under their arms. He twirls her once more around himself, bringing her back to the front of him, their arms pretzeled around each other before pushing her out into a rapid twist and turning around, bringing her back to the side, and letting her twist her hips and flare her skirt out. Victor watches them with mixed feelings of awe and envy of the woman for being able to dance with that man. 

The song continues on, a beautiful trumpet feature introducing the solo clarinet playing as a woman named Geraldine. At this change, the woman solo dances while her partner falls out of the limelight to let her shine. He supports her through all her turns and kicks, lifting her off the floor while she kicks her legs up and brings her down in a flare of her skirt. The glimmering of her dress is stunning to watch as it catches the lights through her movements. The two smile and laugh, seeming completely at ease in the fast paced dance they are performing. 

With the song clearly coming to an end, the woman breaks away once more from the man in a dazzling twirl, then bends back and is caught by the man right as the music cuts off. 

The pair smile to one another and bow to their audience before making their exit from the dancefloor.

Victor turns to his friend at a loss for words. A smirk sits heavy on Chris’s mouth, and as he leans into Victor’s space, “I told you so. Now how about we talk to the beautiful dancer, hm?”

Victor sputters, searching for words just as the man comes over to the bar.

Pushing his sweaty hair back and away from his eyes he beams a smile at the bartender. “Hey Phich. A drink if you please.” The bartender sets to work on making a drink and the man turns to Chris with a pleasant smile on his face. “I’m glad to see you enjoyed yourself enough last time to return. I do enjoy seeing familiar faces.” 

Chris smiles to the man and drags Victor over to his side. “Oh I thoroughly enjoyed myself and plan to many times more from here on,” Chris replies with a knowing look coming from the bartender and a smile playing at the corner of his lips. 

The exchange is lost on Victor who’s whole world has been honed in on the shorter man standing in front of him.

Victor drinks him in, black hair pushed back but still falling in strands around in face. His cinnamon eyes brilliant in the light of the club. He is leaning casually against the bar, comfortable enough with his surroundings that he doesn’t seem bothered that a small expanse of skin is showing where his shirt has unbuttoned at the top. His suit jacket is unbuttoned, and his trousers are neat despite how he’d been dancing. Victor licks his lips at the sight and fights the urge to reach out and touch the man. 

“Stare much harder and you might bore a hole through Yuuri.” Victor startles and the man turns to blink at his dance partner. 

“I’m sorry?” The man named Yuuri turns his attention away from Chris and his drink the bartender just handed him to regard her. 

She laughs heartily and points to Victor over her shoulder, saying, “Well he was just staring at you. Quite intently I might add. So I told him he’d bore a hole through you if he stared any harder.” Yuuri blushes faintly at this and turns to look at Victor. And oh he wasn’t ready for the full attention of those beautiful brown eyes to be turned on him, and he’s staring again. 

Yuuri’s eyes widen as he takes in Victor, his breath coming a little heavier than before as he stares for a minute. He extends his hand towards Victor, smiling, “And who might you be?” Victor grasps his hand firmly and replies, “Name’s Victor. Pleasure to meet you.” Yuuri’s eyelids lower for a second before returning as he replies breathily, “Well I believe the pleasure is all mine.”

The woman snickers and takes a bottle from behind the bar as she plops down onto a stool. “You two are hopeless already and you only just met!” The bartender and Chris join in her laughter and Yuuri colors slightly at the jab, as Victor continues to stare at the man. 

Truly taken in, Victor has never felt so at a loss of words before. Chris reaches over and pokes him lightly in the ribs. “Well are you going to stare at him all night or actually acquaint yourselves?”

Victor straightens his spine and coughs briefly. “Oh.” He replies dumbly before mentally kicking himself for being so lame. “Right. Of course.” 

Yuuri is still staring at him, but he’s smiling in an amused manner at Victor. He turns when his friend taps him on the shoulder, breaking their eye contact momentarily.

“Hey, Chris and I are going to better acquaint ourselves this evening, do you need anything before we go?” Yuuri rolls his eyes to the bartender and laughs, “No, you go enjoy yourself, just have Minami cover the bar while you’re gone.” “Done and done. Have a good night, Yuuri.” His friend winked at him, drawing his name out as he and Chris head deeper into the club. 

Yuuri turns back to Victor and smiles, “Can I get you another drink or anything?” “Uh” Victor says smartly, blinking rapidly, “Yes, please. It’s just a dry vodka martini, stirred if you don’t mind.” Yuuri turns away to make the drink and Victor’s mind is still trying to catch up with him. The woman sitting on the stool kicks lightly at him, drawing his attention to her. 

“So what brought you here to us tonight?” She grins up at him and he relaxes marginally. “Ah, my friend Chris wouldn’t take no for an answer and insisted I come dancing with him. But as you can see he’s left me as he usually does.” Victor glares in the general direction Chris and the bartender headed off in. “Well that’s not so bad is it?” She turns her eyes to Yuuri who just finished making his martini and is walking back over to them. Victor smiles, “No. For once it really isn’t.” 

The woman smiles at him, lifting the bottle she’d coerced from the bar and just before Yuuri can return, says just audible to Victor, “Be good to him or I’ll kick your ass.” Victor’s eyes widen, but before he can respond Yuuri is at her side, offering Victor his martini. 

“Shall we find a quieter part of the club to talk then?” Yuuri is smiling his infectious smile which Victor returns and agrees. “Lead the way.”

Victor follows Yuuri to a corner of the club where the lights are softer and the music slightly muffled. He looks around the smaller space, the leather couch tucked neatly into the corner with a glass table in front of it. There is a mirror on the wall reflecting their images and the lights of the club back to him. Yuuri takes a seat and crosses his legs neatly, taking a sip from his own drink. Smiling up at Victor he asks, “Well are you going to stand their all night and stare, or have a seat and talk?”

Again, Victor mentlly kicks himself for being so unfocused. “Ah of course.” He sits down next to Yuuri, careful not to invade the man’s personal space. He takes a long sip from his martini, relishing the earthiness of the vodka in the mix. Victor lets out a sigh and relaxes into the plush leather of the couch, finally settling down and coming back to himself. Yuuri on the other hand, while he seems relaxed, Victor can feel some tension radiating from him.

The man looks over to him and smiles again. “Well here we are. A quieter space as promised.” Victor returns his smile, “Indeed we are.” Never one for small talk, Victor searches for a way to derail it before they get stuck in a loop of pleasantries. “You know, you’re an amazing dancer.” Yuuri blushed faintly and tries to hide a grin behind the rim of his glass. “Oh you flatter me. I’m an alright dancer I suppose, but nothing special.” 

“Au contraire! You dance with a life I’ve never seen before. You were captivating and I couldn’t take my eyes off you while you danced. Your intricate step sequences and tapping were astounding. The way you and your partner danced together was stunning. And your stamina! I could never keep such a hard pace as you two did while you danced.” Victor knows he’s gushing and could be laying on the compliments too heavy for this man, but he can’t help it. He hasn’t been out in so long, let alone seen a man who piques his interests the way this one does. 

When Victor turns back to Yuuri, the man is staring at him with wide eyes, a blush covering his face and dusting the tops of his ears, his mouth slightly open. Victor tries to backtrack, but he knows he may have gone too far already. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.”

Yuuri blinks, visibly gathering himself before smiling again to Victor. “No, it's quite alright. I’m just not used to being complimented so heavily like that.” He takes a sip from his drink and turns a bit more towards Victor. “Although I have to say that my dancing isn’t all that special. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m just me. I’ve been dancing with Minako for quite a few years now. She’s actually the one who taught me to dance.” “Well you certainly learned well. Your dancing is captivating in every sense of the word,” Victor replies, taking a sip from his martini. “Ah, there’s still things I could improve, but I enjoy dancing so much. It’s so freeing to let yourself be swept away in the music. But that’s enough about me, tell me about you.”

Victor wanted to stay away from himself and in not so many words expressed that he was from St. Petersburg, Russia and that he’d moved to town to study and later become a surgical oncologist. He explained that he now lived here alone with his dog, Makkachin, and only really went out when Chris decided for him that he couldn’t go for another night alone at his place. 

Yuuri seemed to marvel at everything he was told, and his eyes lit up at the mention of Victor’s dog. “I love dogs!” He had exclaimed when Victor first mentioned his poodle. 

Victor still couldn’t shake himself of this man’s beauty and reveled in the way his brown eyes looked with the lights of the club reflected in them. 

“So, Victor. Do you know how to dance? I presume you do since your friend brought you here.” Yuuri looked over to him with a wicked gleam in his eyes and a challenging smile tugging at his lips.

“Ah, unfortunately I do not. Chris says those things and I have no choice in the matter once he’s made his mind up. I usually just drink while he does his thing and then go home before him.” Victor shrugged his shoulders, taking a quick drink from his martini. “However, you looked like you were having the time of your life on the dance floor, so perhaps I wouldn’t mind learning to dance.” 

Yuuri’s eyes opened impossibly wide at this and his mouth hung open, a blush creeping into his cheeks in a manner Victor was becoming quickly fond of. “Well I’d certainly love to be the one to teach you our form of modern swing. What kind of hours do you work as a surgical oncologist if I may ask? We can work out times to meet up if you truly do want to learn.”

Victor smiles, saying “My hours are mostly set about a month in advance at a time. I spend the majority of my time at the clinic with my patients, and when a surgery needs to happen, we schedule it and go from there. I tend to work 13 hour days, but I can make time during the week and my weekends are relatively free save paperwork I neglect until then.” Victor turns his eyes up to Yuuri’s then, “What does your schedule look like? Perhaps we can work a rough idea out tonight.”

Yuuri’s eyes gleamed then, and he drank down the remainder of his beverage before answering, “Eros is mine. I make my own schedule.” He smiled wickedly at Victor and uncrossed his legs, moving closer to Victor in the process. 

Victor feels his face warm slightly at the proximity. And honestly, why is he feeling embarrassed right now? It isn’t like he has never been with a man before. He swallows hard and notices that Yuuri’s eyes drop to his throat, watching the movement. 

“Well I suppose there’s no time like the present then. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I don’t have much of anything except the paperwork I mentioned earlier to take care of if you are alright with starting so soon.” 

Yuuri nods, “It’s perfect.” And Yuuri is smiling again in a way that has Victor’s stomach fluttering like some kind of teenager. He downs the remainder of his martini and sets his glass on the table in front of him. “Shall I return here tomorrow or do I meet you elsewhere?” Yuuri purses his lips in thought, placing his pointer finger over them, “Hm, we can work here tomorrow. How does early afternoon sound to you?” “That will be perfect,” Victor replies with a smile.

“Shall we exchange phone numbers in case anything comes up and we need to reschedule?” Yuuri smiles innocently at Victor and offers his phone. Victor passes his mobile to Yuuri then inputs his contact information and returns the phone. 

“Would you care for a dance tonight?” Yuuri asks, gathering their glasses and standing up. Victor gets up as well and follows him as they head back to the bar. “Well, as I said, I really don’t know how to dance.” “That’s quite alright. I can lead and won’t do anything fancier than a spin or two. I can put on a slower song even, if you’d prefer that.” Victor mulls it over while Yuuri puts their glasses behind the bar and decides why the hell not. Chris has abandoned him for the night and he might as well enjoy some more time with Yuuri before he leaves. 

“Alright,” Victor replies, “I’ll try my best not to step on your feet.” Yuuri’s eyes light up and he claps his hands together in front of him, “Delightful! Let me go change the music to something slower for us.” 

Yuuri disappears briefly to talk to the D.J. that Victor somehow missed when he walked in. Although he can’t blame himself with the way Chris dragged him in and straight to the bar. 

Yuuri returns in short accord, smile on his face, and extends his hand to Victor. Victor reaches out, placing his hand into Yuuri’s and is lightly pulled out onto the dance floor. As they settle together, Yuuri settling one hand on Victor’s shoulder, and the other still holding his hand. He smiles up at Victor then and says, “We’ll start here, and once you get a feel for it, we can add some extra movement, ok?”

Victor takes a deep breath as the song that was playing fades out, “Alright, I just follow you, yeah?” Yuuri gives his hand a reassuring squeeze, “Yeah, I’m right here. You’ll be fine.”

The new song fades in, a chord striking and a gentle melody begins. Yuuri pushes lightly at Victor’s hip to get him to sway to the music. Victor notices how Yuuri’s body has already conformed to the music. His body completely relaxed, his hips swaying as he directs Victor’s movements. Victor tries to relax and feel the music as Yuuri does. He closes his eyes as the drums start up and feels Yuuri push him back slightly. 

Yuuri runs his hand up Victor’s side, grabbing his other hand and extends their arms between them. He then pushes their arms in, stepping back, then tugs Victor towards him lightly, spinning himself ‘round so his arms are crossed in front of his chest and Victor’s are wrapped over his shoulders. Yuuri presses into Victor’s chest, continuing to sway to the music. 

Victor blushes at the proximity of them as well as the feel of Yuuri pressed up so close to him. He struggles to control his breathing and not make things weird. All things considered, he does well, and thankfully as some vocals begin, they change positions. 

At the sound of the vocals, Yuuri extends their arms above him, and spins back out so their arms are parallel again, and he is facing Victor. He releases one of his hands and spins himself, Victor letting his wrist twirl with the movement of it. 

Yuuri smiles up to him then, “See? You’re a natural at this!” stepping back in close, he replaces his hand on Victor’s hip and they sway comfortably to the rhythm. Yuuri rocks gently in his arms, and Victor smiles. 

As the vocals fade out and the saxophone begins again, Yuuri puts some space between them again, grabbing at Victor’s hand and guiding him through a series of slow turns. Yuuri passes under their arms first, extending out the full length before he turns, pulling Victor towards him. He then passes his hand behind his back, bringing their hands up to spin Victor back to face Yuuri. He has to stretch up to his toes to spin Victor, and while it’s a little awkward, it works. They repeat this a couple more times before Yuuri brings him back in close and they rock gently with the music. Yuuri rests his head against Victor’s shoulder, his eyes shut and a smile on his lips. When the song reduces to just vocals and bare rhythm, Yuuri again grabs Victor’s other hand and stretches their arms between them, bouncing slightly to the beat as he pushes their arms up between them. He holds them here, shifting his weight from foot to foot, swaying their arms between them. Then, when he extends them out to the side, he releases Victor’s left hand and spins himself once in a slow, wide circle, ending with his hand resting on Victor’s fingertips as the song ends in a delicate broken chord. 

Yuuri has his eyes locked on Victor’s and a soft smile on his lips. He’s still so relaxed when he pulls Victor in close to him, wrapping his arms around Victor’s waist. 

Victor holds his breath, not wanting to shatter the moment.

Finally Yuuri steps back, untangling his arms from Victor’s waist. “You know, I think you’re pulling my leg. You have a natural rhythm and you followed really well with the turns for someone who claims to not know how to dance.” Victor blushes and looks away, “Well I know how to slow dance and the spins are easy enough to get down after one or two of them. You’re also really easy to follow the way you practically become the music.”

Yuuri hums and smiles in response, and the conversation idles for a while. They have returned to the little back corner where they talked for a while, and are sitting close to one another. Victor hasn’t seen Chris since he left with the bartender, but he doesn’t care. That’s nothing new for his friend, and he’s quite content himself sitting next to Yuuri in a comfortable silence. 

That is until Victor’s body reminds him how tired he still is. When he checks his watch he is startled at how late it’s somehow gotten. 

Never being very good at goodbyes, he sits up awkwardly. Clearing his throat, he turns to look at Yuuri, “I’m glad we got to dance tonight, I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to call it a night.” Yuuri smiles to him and sits up, “No worries. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, yeah?” “Yeah,” Victor says, returning Yuuri’s warm smile, then standing up. “Want me to walk you to the front?” Victor hesitates, but decides if he is around Yuuri much longer he may just kiss him tonight and he doesn’t want to scare him off just yet. “No, it’s alright. I think I can mange. Thank you for a wonderful night, Yuuri.”

Yuuri’s eyes widen and his cheeks blush when Victor says his name. “Anytime, Victor. Will you text me when you make it home?”

Victor smiles, “Of course,” he replies before he turns away because if he stands any longer he might not leave and he really needs to sleep.

Victor is home before he knows it. He doesn’t remember walking up to his door or unlocking it. And it isn’t until he’s opened it and is greeted by Makkachin licking his hand that he realizes he’s standing in his doorway.

He steps in, shutting and locking the door behind him. He gives Makka a quick scratch behind her ears before pulling out his phone and opening his messages.

He shoots a quick message to Chris letting him know he left the club already and thanking him for making him go out tonight. 

Next he starts a new message to Yuuri, letting him know he made it home safe, thanking him again for an amazing night. Then he sets to taking off his suit, leaving a trail of clothes all the way to his room, climbing into bed with Makka and is asleep before he knows it.   



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First dance lesson.

The next day, Yuuri is lazing on the couch while Phichit bustles in the kitchen preparing breakfast for them.

“So how was your night, Phi?” Yuuri asked from his place on the couch. 

“Oh it was marvelous. That Chris is just a wonder at dancing. Among other things.” Phichit replies with a smirk on the corner of his mouth. “And what, pray tell, are these ‘other things’ hm?” Yuuri sits up and smiles over at his friend. “A gentleman never tells his secrets, Yuuri.” Phichit winks over at him, and Yuuri feigns hurt. “And here I thought we were past withholding secrets from one another.” At this, Yuuri places his hand over his eyes and lays back down on the couch. “I guess I was wrong.”

“What a drama queen. Are you sure you’re not an actor, Yuuri?” Phichit laughs at Yuuri’s act and comes around the counter to place their eggs and toast on the table. Yuuri gets up and grabs some fruit from their basket and cuts it up quickly for them. This is their usual morning routine. They alternate who makes breakfast, then sit and discuss the previous night and what they should do before opening the club.

“Want to go rollerblading today, Yuuri? It’s been a bit since we have.” Phichit takes a bite from his toast and waves it haphazardly at Yuuri, “I know you haven’t been, because you seldom leave the club these days. What’s going on?” 

“Hm yeah, rollerblading sounds nice actually. And I’m not sure what’s going on. I just feel out of it right now. But that may change soon.” Yuuri munches on his peach and zones out briefly. He zones out, thinking about last night and Victor. And dancing with Victor. And, oh, he gets to dance with him again later this afternoon, but he’ll be teaching Victor to dance. He’ll get to hold Victor again. Touch his hips again. His eyes widen, and a blush starts to creep into his cheeks then. 

“Earth to Yuuri!! Is anyone in there anymore???” Phichit was waving his hand frantically in front of Yuuri’s face.

“Ah?” Yuuri blinked fast for a few seconds, coming back to himself. “Oh, sorry, I spaced out pretty bad there, huh?” Yuuri scrubbed the back of his neck and looked down. 

“Whoa man, what’s on your mind? It’s not like you to be this out of it.” Phichit looked a little concerned for his friend, but also curious, and clearly curiosity had won out. 

Laughing, Yuuri looked back up at his friend. “You remember Victor from last night? The man Chris brought with him to the club?” Phichit’s eyes absolutely light up, and one of the biggest smiles Yuuri’s ever seen spreads across his friend’s face. “Of course I do!” He practically shouts at Yuuri.

“Ok, well, we talked for a bit, right? Well he was very free with the compliments on my dancing. I thought he was just being nice at first, but he was very serious about it when I tried to brush them off.” Phichit rolls his eyes at this, “Oh Yuuri, I tell you all the time that you don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re an amazing dancer, and I’m glad someone else will tell you so.”

Yuuri sighs, “I suppose. Anyways, we talked for a while, and oh! He has a poodle!! A poodle, Phich! I love poodles! She’s a brown poodle, and I bet she has the softest fur!” Yuuri gets lost again in his thoughts of the dog Victor told him about. 

Phichit snapped his fingers in front of his face again. “Hey. Focus.”

Yuuri snorts at his friend. “Right. Sorry. So I asked him if he knew to dance since his friend brought him to the club, right. Well he said no, but that he’d love to learn. From me!” Yuuri pointed at himself and laughed incredulously at the thought.

Phichit’s mouth dropped open. “No way! He sure moves fast. What did you say? What did he say?” 

Yuuri smirks at his friend, “Well, we discussed schedules and when we’d be able to meet up and all that jazz. Oh, I forgot to tell you, he’s a surgical oncologist! He informed me his weekends were usually free, but he has paperwork he leaves to finish then. He works long days during the week at a clinic and if he has a surgery to perform, then it’s scheduled. So he usually has a good idea of when he has time and when he doesn’t, which is nice. We agreed to meet early this afternoon to start. Wait that means we can’t rollerblade until probably this evening if that’s alright with you. Anyways, so we agreed to meet today, and then I asked him to dance with me at least once and that I’d lead so he didn’t have to worry about lack of experience. And, oh Phich, it was the best dance I’ve ever had. Yeah he was inexperienced, but he picked up on everything so fast! I kept it to basic spins and passes, a couple turns thrown in there. Ugh I can’t wait to dance with him again.” 

Phichit is looking at him with an eyebrow raised and a smile on his lips. When Yuuri finally pauses to breathe after that epic monologue, he chimes in, “Wow can I talk now? Are you done?” 

Yuuri blushes, “Yeah go ahead.”

“Much obliged” Phichit laughs. “So it sounds like you had a wonderful night with your new friend. I can’t believe you guys are meeting again so soon. Are you going to make any famous ‘Yuuri moves’ on him while you teach him to dance?” Phichit waggles his eyebrows at his friend and relishes in the blush that floods Yuuri’s face. “I’d wager you don’t even have to and he’d still be tripping over himself to see you again. I look forward to seeing you two dance together after that recollection you gave me. It sounds like after only one night of talking to him, and dancing that you’re quite happy with him. I hope things go well between you two, because one: I love seeing you happy like this and two: I can’t wait to pick on you with him around.”

Just then Yuuri’s phone chimes indicating he has a message. Strange since it was still early and he only ever texted Phichit. He pulls it out and looks at the screen.

Victor:  _ Good morning, Yuuri. Apologies for the early message. I know we are to meet this afternoon, but we never said what time. Is there one you had in mind? _

Yuuri smiles down at his phone before typing out a response: 

_ We can meet at 1:30 if that works with your schedule? _

_ V: It does, see you then (: _

* * *

  
  


“Chris, honestly. Why are you in the clinic? You’re an anesthesiologist for crying out loud. There is nothing for you to do here and I have paperwork I need to finish.” Victor was mildly irritated with his friend this morning. Although, he has to admit that he should really be thanking him for introducing him to the gem that is Yuuri, but his friend has been bugging him nonstop about last night and what happened and he has so much paperwork. When did he get this much paperwork? Hadn’t he done any of it during the week? 

“You know I’m on call today, so I don’t have much to do and it’s not like I’m useless. I could help you.” Chris can tell Victor is getting upset, so he lays off the topic of the beautiful Yuuri for now. “Do you need anything right now?”

Victor lets out a long sigh. “Currently, no, but thank you.” He rubs his eyes and leans back in his chair. He came in to the clinic early this morning to get all his affairs in order for the day. He has documents that need to be signed, patient release forms to fill out, new patient forms to review, and surgeries to put on his calendar.

Chris is thankfully quiet after that. Pulling out his phone and typing up what Victor can only assume is a message to his friend from last night. Thinking of last night, Victor remembers that he and Yuuri are to meet this afternoon, but they didn’t set an explicit time. He pulls out his own phone and types up a message:

_ Good morning, Yuuri. Apologies for the early message. I know we are to meet this afternoon, but we never said what time. Is there one you had in mind? _

Not long after he’d set his phone down and grabbed a new stack of papers, his phone chimed. Chris looked up from his with an eyebrow raised in question. “Who are you texting? The only person you ever text is sitting right next to you.”

“Ah, I forgot to tell you I suppose. Yuuri and I are meeting up today.” He shrugs noncommittally and returns his attention to the paperwork. 

Chris guffaws at Victor then. He nearly drops his phone, fumbling it in his hands before snatching it up. “You set up a date and you didn’t tell me?! I am  _ hurt _ , mon cheri!!”

Victor types up his response before addressing his friend’s meltdown. “Well it’s not a date. I-” He pauses here. Not knowing why he’d be embarrassed to tell his friend he asked Yuuri to teach him to dance, but he is. “I asked him to teach me how to dance..” He finishes the sentence in a small voice. 

Chris reaches over for him, taking the papers from his hands and turning Victor in his chair to look at him. “You, Victor Nikiforov, asked a man you met once to teach you how to dance?”

Victor rolls his eyes, “Yes. I did. You know I can dance, but it’s only nonchalant dancing. Nothing near as exhilarating as what I saw last night. Besides that, he’s cute as fuck.” Victor smirks over at his friend. “Have you seen his butt? You could bounce dimes off of it.”

Chris snorts at the last comment. “Yeah I’ve seen it. I was honestly hoping for this after you saw him, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. I’m impressed.”

“You and me, both.” With a sigh, Victor rubs at his eyes, “As much as I would love to discuss Yuuri further, I seriously have to get work done on all this paperwork, so if you don’t mind.” Chris obliges and releases Victor to turn away and get back to his paperwork. 

Not long after Chris gets called in for a case and leaves Victor for the day. Checking the clock, he sees he has four more hours before he’s to meet Yuuri. Sufficient time to knock out the majority of this paperwork.

Victor turns on some music while he works. He sighs and smiles to himself as Perry Como sings through his speakers. Always a lover of the classics, Victor finds his concentration and sets to work on the files in front of him. 

* * *

1pm rolls around and Victor is dead tired. He huffs out a breath, combing his fingers through his hair. 

_ Guess I’ll grab a quick bite to eat and head to the club. It isn’t too far from here _ , he thinks to himself. He picks up around his desk, organizing the paperwork and setting everything back to rights. Standing up, he stretches out his limbs and heads out. 

He gets a sandwich and some tea for lunch, not quite inhaling it, but not exactly taking the time to taste it either. Before he knows it, he’s standing in front of the club, anxiety pooling in his stomach. 

_ This is ridiculous. You’re being ridiculous. We’re just going to dance. Get a grip. _ Victor gives himself a mental pep talk before walking into the club at exactly 1:30 because he’s nothing if not punctual. 

It’s completely different being in the club when it isn’t full of people, and the music is quietly playing over the speakers. Victor looks around, actually looks this time at what all is in the club. There are mirrors on all walls of varying sizes, some that are designed to reflect specific lights, and others purely decor. The bar area is on a raised platform adjacent to the dancefloor. There are couches like the one he and Yuuri shared last night with tables in front of them, as well as tall tables and chairs for patrons. Weaving through the club, Victor looks around for Yuuri. 

Yuuri comes around a corner and sees Victor. A smile spreads across his face instantly, “Hi! I’m glad you made it.” Victor turns to Yuuri, returning the warm smile with one of his own and resplies, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Yuuri blushes at this, but keeps on. “How was your paperwork? Make any progress on it?” Victor hums and recounts his morning of filling out and filing a good amount of what he had. 

“That sounds dreadful, honestly. How do you do that?” Yuuri sounds genuinely concerned for Victor which makes him laugh. “It comes with the territory. It really isn’t all that bad as long as I don’t leave it all to be done on the weekend like I did this time. But still, I enjoy what I do, and if that means I have to do paperwork, then so be it.”

Yuuri smiles as he listens to VIctor, his head tilted slightly in a cute manner. “As long as you enjoy what you do, I suppose it isn’t that bad, then.” Yuuri stares for a while longer before he claps his hands together. “Anyways, you didn’t come here today to talk about work. So, shall we dance?” He stands up, motioning for Victor to follow him to the dancefloor. 

“So there are some basic elements to swing that once you know them, everything else is smooth sailing. I’m going to throw some terms at you that’ll make little sense, but once we get to them, hopefully things will be clearer. Sound good?”

Mildly overwhelmed already, Victor nods agreement and Yuuri smiles at him. “Come on, relax. It’ll be fun. Promise. So the most basic and easily understood move would be walking, in which you literally just walk in place. Then we have touch stepping, which is basically-” Yuuri points to his feet as he demonstrates the movement, touching his toe to the floor in all directions. “So touch stepping, you’re just stepping with your toes instead of your whole foot. You can step out to the sides, in front or behind you. Still pretty simple, yeah?” He looks up for confirmation and Victor nods again. “I’m still with you, so yeah.” 

“Great.” Yuuri gives a curt nod and continues on with his explanation. “Next we have the triple step. This one is another easy one. You’ll step in whichever direction with your first foot, then the second step, your foot comes near the first, and the third step doesn’t travel far and is a quick step. The third step can either be up and right back down, or you can add some extra distance by moving with that one.” He again demonstrates the movement, stepping out with his right foot, then meeting it with his left, and quickly lifting and replacing his right. He makes a circle with the step sequence before he looks to Victor. “Still with me?” Victor hums, but thinks he’s still alright, so he gives his affirmation and Yuuri continues. 

“For our final basic step, we have the kick-ball-change. So as the name implies, you kick your foot out in front of you, then you’ll bring it back, put your weight on the ball of the same foot, then you’ll change to the other foot and can perform another kick from there. This step has elements from the others, with the simple addition of a kick.” He kicks his foot up, bringing it back and shifting his feet as he explained before kicking again. He runs through the kicks with both feet. “So what do you think?”

“Well, you certainly make it look easy, but I think I can manage those.” 

Victor takes himself through the movements with minor corrections from Yuuri while he does so. He takes a bit to get the feel of the kick-ball-change with his feet. When he finally gets the pattern down, he feels a sense of pride in himself. 

“You sure learn fast. How about we add some music and go through these steps together?” Yuuri turns away then, picking up his phone and puts some music to play through the speakers. It’s slower and nothing as energetic as Victor heard last night. Yuuri comes close to VIctor, offering his hand and begins to dance around with Victor. They encompass the dance floor, going through first the walking steps, moving side by side until Yuuri turns to him to start touch stepping. 

Victor is not only impressed with himself for being so quick to pick up on everything, but also at how fluid Yuuri is with all the movements. Victor finds himself more often than not, following in Yuuri’s stead, admiring how the music rolls off his body and these basic steps take on a life of their own. He looks so natural with the music playing in the background. Like this is where he belongs, and nothing could make him happier. VIctor relates in some way to the feeling when he’s in the clinic or performing surgery. His mind is at peace when he his helping others, and he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. 

A feeling of calmness washes over him then, and he feels himself fall in time with the music. Performing the steps Yuuri showed him with ease. He finds it very relaxing to be able to let go of his stresses and just be with Yuuri in this moment. 

Yuuri brings them to a stop after a while of dancing. “How you feeling?” Victor didn’t realize he was breathing so hard until they stopped. Huffing, he says,”Well, pretty good. I didn’t realize how tiring just that could be. And you danced an entire song and who knows how many others the other night.” Victor shakes his head in awe, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. 

“Yeah, I’ve been dancing for a while. I’ve always had good stamina, but it improved when I bought Eros and started dancing nightly.” Yuuri shrugs his shoulders, looking down. “Just how much stamina do you have?” Victor catches the words leaving his mouth before his mind catches up with himself. “I-I mean, that is to say,” Yuuri chuckles at him, “Don’t sweat it, I have plenty to last all day and well into the night.” Yuuri’s eyes sparkle up at Victor who has to swallow hard before words exist in his brain again. 

“Shall we change the music and put the moves together? See how you fare with those and a few I can guide you through?” at Victor’s nod, Yuuri pulls his phone from his pocket and changes the song over the speakers. “This one will be a bit faster, but I don’t think you’ll really have trouble.”

The song opens with a heavy bass beat and some slow, deep vocals. Yuuri starts with walking steps, urging Victor to do the same as saxophones begin playing. Victor mimics Yuuri as best he can, keeping the space between them, still unsure of what he should be doing. 

Yuuri switches his steps to triple steps as the music gains momentum, and starts to make his way around the dancefloor. He catches Victor along the way, swinging his hand between them, and Victor follows like a puppy. 

A woman’s voice comes in, and then the beat changes, the bass keeping a steady pulse, causing Yuuri to change into the kick-ball-change. He alternates between the kick and triple stepping to the music. Victor finds himself complementing Yuuri’s movements like he’s been dancing with him for years. He can feel when Yuuri is about to shift into another step and he adjusts himself accordingly. Yuuri kicks one foot out, and when he changes his feet, he pulls on Victor’s arm, and passes himself beneath in an elegant spin. 

The beat is steady as the song progresses and Victor finds it easy to follow. He’s able to keep up and perform kicks on his own, pulling Yuuri towards him, and passing him through another spin. Yuuri’s face lights with joy. Victor realizes then that a smile is sitting on his own mouth. He’s never felt so at ease. All too soon the song ends, just as suddenly as it began. Victor huffs out a breath, again not realizing how tired his body was getting until he stops. 

“How about we take a break? We’ve been dancing for a while, and I could use a drink.” Victor agrees and they make their way to the bar. Victor settles for some water while Yuuri makes himself a drink. 

“You’re really good, you know? You should give yourself more credit for your dancing abilities.” Yuuri regards Victor with a smile, leaning over the counter near him. “Well, it’s easier to sell myself short and you be surprised than set the bar high early on. I didn’t think I’d catch on as fast as I have, but I figure things will get more difficult later on, so I wouldn’t hold your breath for too much.” Victor still feels slightly self conscious in his dancing abilities, but he’s glad that Yuuri doesn’t poke jokes at him when he messes up. “I know some basic steps, enough to get by at formal events. I’ve never danced for fun or because I want to, though.”

Yuuri keeps his eyes on Victor as he talks. “Do you have fun when we dance?” He asks in a small voice that Victor can’t help the shiver that runs down his spine. “I do, yeah. I’m able to relax and get a feel for the music. It’s really nice, actually.” He smiles across at Yuuri and feels warmth spread through his chest. 

“I’m so glad we met, Victor. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to teach someone how to dance. Especially someone as handsome and talented as yourself.” A blush creeps its way across Victor’s cheeks as Yuuri talks. Yuuri chuckles then, standing up and coming around the bar. “Shall we dance more, or do you have to get back to your paperwork?”

Victor glances down at his watch then and is startled at how much time has passed. “Ah, unfortunately, I do have to get back to work. I’ve really enjoyed today, though, so thank you for taking time from your day to teach me. We can text or call to set up our next meetup?” Yuuri looks a little disappointed, but he smooths his features over so fast, Victor isn’t sure if he imagined the disappointment there or not. “We certainly can! As I said, I can free my schedule up whenever. It being a Saturday, the club will open in a few hours. If you feel like  _ swinging  _ by, I’d love to see you again.” Yuuri puts a not-so-subtle emphasis on the work swinging and winks at Victor who laughs. 

“I’ll see what I can manage. I’ll shoot you a message if I can’t make it though.” With that Victor takes his leave of the club and returns to the clinic to finish off the paperwork he set out for the day. 

Yuuri sighs as Victor leaves, taking his phone out and messaging Phichit to come on to the club. Since they still had some hours before the club was to open, he wanted to rollerblade like they discussed in the morning. He thinks about dancing with Victor and how natural it felt having Victor at his side. With music still playing over the speakers, Yuuri makes a few rounds of the club, envisioning Victor there with him, guiding him through turns and passes, kicks, lifts, hops and all. He thinks about what he wants to teach Victor next and if he could convince him to stay later next time they meet because he’s selfish like that. 

Phichit arrives with their rollerblades in tote, and they head off to the park. When they arrive, Phichit smiles at him and asks how his day with Victor was. Yuuri is greatful he has his friend to talk about it with, and he absolutely gushes over Victor all over again. He tells Phichit about covering the basics and how Victor was shy at first, but once Yuuri put the music on and started dancing with him, Victor was a natural. He talked in depth about dancing to Street Lamp Swing and how Victor actually took the lead after a bit even though he probably didn’t realize it. How Victor took him through a spin and Yuuri didn’t have to guide him through the sequences or correct him on anything. 

Yuuri turns on his rollerblades to skate backwards in front of Phichit with a smile on his face. Phichit smiles right back at him, “You seem really happy, Yuuri. Do you think you’ll ask him out at some point?” Phichit winks at him and Yuuri nearly falls when his friend asks. Sputtering, he regains his equilibrium and comes back to Phichit’s side. “We just had our first dance lesson today and we didn’t talk much about anything other than the moves. How am I supposed to casually slip in a question about a date in that? He doesn’t even seem interested in that way, Phich. For all we know, he just wants to learn how to dance. If this is just temporary, then so be it. I get one hell of a dance partner from it while it lasts.” 

Phichit rolls his eyes at his best friend. “I swear you are so dense sometimes, Yuuri. The guy is totally into you. Did you at least invite him back to the club tonight?” Yuuri blushes, “I did actually. He said he would see what he could do and let me know if he can come.”

Phichit whistles low, “Look at you!” “Oh shove off, Phich.” Yuuri laughs and pushes lightly at his friend. They continue rollerblading around the park for a while, unconsciously syncing their movements until they have to head back to open the club. 

* * *

Victor gets back to the clinic and groans at the stack of papers he still has to finish despite all the headway he’s already made. He sits back in his uncomfortable chair, plugs his phone into his desk speaker, and settles in with the documents. Victor finds it hard to focus on the words when his mind drifts in and out of thoughts of Yuuri. Even his music, usually able to reign him in, does little to stop his mind from going back to dancing earlier. The freedom he felt when he was with Yuuri. How the only thing he felt was the music, Yuuri, and joy. 

Victor takes in a deep breath, holds it, and releases it in ten counts.  _ Focus _ , he tells himself. This paperwork won’t finish itself and it’s already late. He turns up his music when he hears Dean Martin’s “Sway” begin to play. He finds his focus then and is able to tackle the paperwork better than before. 

Victor gets up after a while, stretching his back and legs. He checks his phone and groans at the time. He danced with Yuuri until 4:45, got back here and couldn’t focus on his work, then got lost in it as he often does. Now it’s 9:30, he’s hungry, his ass hurts, and he still has some documents left for today. Pulling out his phone, he sends a message to Chris letting him know he’ll be at the clinic late again and not to wait up for him. He indulges him in a short story about dancing with Yuuri that he knows Chris will want to discuss later. He opens his messages to Yuuri and informs him that he won’t be able to go to the club tonight if he wants to finish his paperwork on time. Victor apologizes, but says he will make it up to him the next time he sees him. He isn’t sure how, or what that implies necessarily, but he figures no harm, no foul. 

Chris doesn’t respond, so Victor guesses he’s busy with another case or his phone died. Both very possible and reasonable. He gets a sad face from Yuuri as way of response, but and “I’ll hold you to your word (;” not long after. Victor blushes like some kind of teenager at the message and sets his phone down. He doesn’t want to be up all night and knows he’s just stalling at this point. 

He finds his mind wandering yet again to Yuuri, but this time they aren’t dancing. Yuuri has him pressed onto a table and is kissing him like Victor is his source of life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I suck at endings but have a little foreshadowing :D I have an idea of where this story will go, but not how long it will end up. Thank y'all so much for the kudos so far! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri go out. Yuuri learns about some unhealthy habits Victor has and wants to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses for this chapter. Just some character depth added and some plot because why not. Love me some blind, pining fools. There's dancing at the end, but most of this is like a big mess haha. I can only catch so many typos, so apologies for errors.

Victor wakes late the next day and immediately curses himself for leaving so much paperwork to finish this weekend. He already knows he’s going to spend the majority of the day finishing it up. He brought home the remainder so he could at least be comfortable while he was stressed out. Makka looks up at him waiting for him to take her for a walk. 

Groaning, he gets out of bed, and dressed for the day. He puts on an older pair of jeans and a sweater to take Makkachin out for her walk. Grabbing her leash and his keys, together they head out. Victor breathes in the fresh air as they walk, enjoying the smell of wildflowers along the sidewalk. He takes Makka to the park near his house, letting her stop and smell near everything along the way. He doesn’t want to rush her, but he also doesn’t want to go back home and work on his paperwork anytime soon, so he lets Makka wander. While they wander together, his thinks about the upcoming week. 

He should be seeing two patients for their post-op surgery. Then there are three others he is consulting to determine a plan of action, and another two who will need to schedule surgeries for debulking surgeries. Victor groans just thinking about all the paperwork he’s going to have to file for those. 

As he and Makka make their way back home, he stops by a coffee shop for a pastry and black coffee. When he gets home, he pulls out and organizes the paperwork to be completed. Connecting his phone to a speaker, Victor turns on his classics playlist and sits at his dining table to get to work. 

The afternoon sun shines in through onto Victor still sitting at the table. Deciding he deserves a break, he gets up and stretches his limbs. His back cracks with the movement, causing Victor to groan. He goes into the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water then goes to the glass door leading to his porch. Makka follows him around, sitting at his side while he stands in front of the door.

Looking out, he gazes over his garden. He looks over the patch of daisies in the corner with chrysanthemum planted among them. The rose garden lining the fence next to them blooming nicely with red, white, and pink roses starting to bloom already. Victor smiles, looking over to his butterfly garden, with lantanas, coneflowers and milkweed spreading in their corner. The rest of his yard is grass and stonework, a birdbath central among the stones. 

Victor sighs, knowing he needs to tend to those gardens more and make sure weeds aren’t taking them over, but that’s work for a Victor of another day. Returning to his table, he attempts to regain focus and finish his paperwork. Grumbling at the small stack that remains, he gets back to it, reviewing patient files and signing what needs signing. 

When he finally finishes, he slumps back in his chair and groans. Throwing a hand over his eyes, Victor heaves a deep breath. Turning his attention back to his phone, he clicks it to check his messages. 

He sees that he missed a call from Chris, so he shoots him a message that he’s sorry, but he finished his paperwork and would call him back later. 

He also sees a couple messages from Yuuri.  _ Shit,  _ he thinks. Opening the messages, he sees he missed an afternoon message, and an invitation for coffee. The invitation for coffee was thankfully not all that long ago, so Victor presses the phone button and waits for Yuuri to answer the phone. 

_ “Hello, Victor.”  _

_ “Hi, Yuuri. I’m so sorry I never answered your messages. Would you still be interested in grabbing coffee or something else? I need to take Makka out to stretch her legs, I hope it’s alright if she tags along.” _

_ “Oh! Of course. I’d love to. I kind of figured you were busy when you didn’t respond, so it’s no worries. Where would you like to get coffee? I can meet you wherever. Or we can go to a park for Makkachin?” Yuuri hums on the other side of the line, a faint rustling sound coming through the line. _

_ “There’s a coffee shop around here that’s not too far from a park. I’ll send you the address and meet you there in say, 45 minutes?” _

_ “That sounds delightful. I’ll see you there (:” _

_ *Victor shared a location*  _

With a sigh, Victor gets up and heads to his room to shower and get himself together to meet with Yuuri. Victor doesn’t know why he suddenly feels so giddy, but as he’s showering and getting ready, he notices that a smile has been on his lips the entire time. He gets dressed in jeans and a comfortable V-neck shirt. He slips on his walking shoes and goes to round up Makka. 

As soon as he grabs her leash, she’s sits by the door, tail wagging furiously. She barks at Victor as he clasps the leash onto her collar and ruffles her fur. Checking his phone, he sees he’s got about 20 minutes to get to the coffee shop. He’ll have to hurry if he doesn’t want to be late. 

As they walk, Victor shoots Yuuri a message that he just left his place, and sets a fast pace for he and Makkachin. She wanders the sidewalk happily, smelling everything she can before they pass. Victor let’s her smell flowers and light poles, not staying too long when she walks multiple circles around one particular pole. 

They make it to the coffee shop, and Victor sees Yuuri walking up from the other direction. Makka sits next to Victor since he stopped walking, leaning against his leg in a protective manner. Victor’s speaking abilities have left him for the time being. He knew Yuuri looked handsome in a suit, and he knew the man looked good wearing dancing clothes, but seeing him in jeans that fit in all the right places and a shirt that was just on this side of too big hanging over his figure was another thing altogether. The contrast was breathtaking. Literally. How could one man look so good in everything? 

Yuuri smiles at Victor when he’s standing in front of him and Victor has to dig his nails into his palm in order to speak. “Hi.” Is all he’s able to get out before his brain short circuits again. 

“Hi, Victor,” Yuuri replies with a smile before turning his attention to Makka who has started sniffing at his feet, her tail wagging up a storm against Victor’s leg. “And hello to you, too, pretty girl!” Yuuri coos at Makkachin, letting her smell his hand before he pets her. 

“Shall we?” Yuuri steps back and gestures to the coffee shop. Victor dips his head, opening the door for them to enter. Thankfully the shop knows him enough that when they see Makkachin, nobody bats an eye. He’ll be in and out with her and she never causes a fuss for the workers. 

They both order a black coffee to-go, and Victor pays for them. Yuuri tried to protest, but upon further insisting on it being his treat, Victor wins out. Coffee in hand, they leave and head for the park. 

The evening is nice. The wind not too rough, the air not too warm or humid. The early evening sun painting the sky in various shades of purples and pinks. Victor breathes in deep. He seriously needs to get out more. 

Yuuri bumps his arm, drawing Victor’s attention down to him. “What’re you thinking about up there, huh?” Yuuri smiles up at Victor, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Ah just about how I need to get out more. It’s such a beautiful evening and I really would’ve spent it inside at home if not for you.” Victor takes a tentative sip from his coffee, silently hoping it isn’t scalding lest he burn his tongue. 

“Well, then I’m glad I was able to get you out this beautiful evening. And while I don’t want to impose or take you from your work more often than you can afford, I’d love to spend more time out with you if you’re alright with that.” Yuuri looks ahead of them, sipping at his own coffee with a light shade of pink dusting his cheeks. Victor hums in agreement, “Yes I think I’d like that. It’s not that I can’t afford to take the time, I just never take it. If I have spare time I tend to do nothing, but that’s more akin to Chris being my main source of festivities. If it weren’t for him I doubt I’d go out at all save for Makka.” 

At the mention of her name, Makkachin perks up and trots back to Victor’s side, licking at his leash-holding hand. He smiles down at her and coos affectionate words at her, scratching her ears when she butts her head against his leg. 

“I don’t think you need me to tell you this, but I feel obligated at the moment. It isn’t healthy to coop yourself up all the time, Victor. There has to be something that motivates you. There’s more to life than work and sleep, you know?” Victor looks down to Yuuri with a small, sad smile on his lips. “Yes, I know. I love my work and those I see daily. Chris is my best friend and does his best to check up on me, but he’s got his own life to worry about as well. I’m both grateful and indebted to him for everything he’s done for me. There are things that interest me, but I often tell myself I don’t have the time, or when I do, that there’s nobody to go with me so I end up not doing much.” Victor shrugs his shoulders and takes another drink from his coffee. “Do you want to sit? There’s a bench up ahead.”

“Sure, we can sit.” Yuuri waits until they’ve settled before he turns the conversation back to their earlier one. “So you don’t get out much because you don’t have people to go out with? Because if that’s the case, you have me now. Since I do make my own schedule, I’m free whenever, Victor.” 

Yuuri sounds like he’s worried about Victor and it rubs him the wrong way. Victor knows he means well, but he hates when other people worry about him more than he ever does. It’s his life. If he wants to coop himself up and work himself to death then why stop him? Life has never been easy for him and he’s worked so hard for everything. Yakov always pushing him to do his best no matter what instilled a work ethic like none other in him. Victor closes his eyes and sighs. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep. I know we just met and all, but I hope you’ll at least consider reaching out from time to time. Yes we have our dance lessons, but I won’t count those as you getting out enough.” 

Victor huffs a laugh at Yuuri’s last comment. “You know, you’d make a great doctor. Lecturing me on how to take care of myself and that I need to get out more. Oh how the tables have turned out of my favor.” Smiling, Victor rolls his head to the side to look at Yuuri, “I promise I’ll make more of an effort to get out more, and I’ll text you when I do. How’s that sound?” 

Yuuri smiles at him, “That sounds like a deal to me.” The sun has faded from view now, leaving the park dark except for the lights dotting the walking path. Victor hums and looks up at the sky. The lights block most of the stars from view, but there are still enough visible for him to want to gaze at them. He picks out a couple constellation, pointing them out to Yuuri when he sees them. Yuuri has pressed himself into Victor’s side, following his finger and line of sight whenever he points out a constellation. When VIctor quits naming them, he makes no move to separate their touching thighs. Neither does Victor. It’s nice, Victor thinks. He enjoys spending time like this with Yuuri and is loathe to return home to his empty apartment and cold bed. 

It’s getting late and he knows he needs to get back. The clinic and his appointments won’t wait for him to get his tired self up and moving in the morning. He groans,  _ the clinic _ . 

“Are you ok?” Yuuri peers his way, but it’s gotten dark to the point it’s difficult for them to see one another. “Mm yeah I’m ok, just thinking about work tomorrow at the clinic. Not really looking forward to it right now.” 

“Do you think about anything other than work?” Yuuri laughs, but Victor can feel him roll his eyes when he says it. Smiling, Victor gets up and tosses his cup into a trashcan off to the side. “Honestly? No. I think about work a lot. But like I said, it makes me happy and keeps me plenty busy. And it’s not like I have much else to think about.” 

Yuuri gets up, tossing his cup as well before walking near Victor. Then he’s in Victor’s space. He leans up, his lips brushing the shell of Victor’s ear, “Well hopefully one night you’ll let me occupy your mind with …  _ other things _ .” Victor shivers as Yuuri steps back like nothing happened. His thinking faculties having left him the moment Yuuri pressed his hand into Victor’s chest. 

“Shall we return then? I know it’s getting late and you have work in the morning.” Yuuri turns and starts walking, leaving a still-dazed Victor behind him. 

Victor can feel his mind running 1,000 miles a minute.  _ Yuuri got close again. I thought he was going to kiss me. Was he? Did he want to? No. Probably not. It’s not like he likes me. He said something to me, though. What did he say? He’s walking now. I should walk, too.  _ At Makka pulling on her leash, Victor snaps out of his internal monologue and sees Yuuri staring at him. “Are you alright, Victor?” 

Victor starts walking then, catching up to Yuuri quickly. He smiles sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head. “Yeah I’m good. I seem to have a hard time focusing today. Not sure why that is.” Yuuri has a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face like he knows, but he doesn’t say anything so Victor decides to let it go. “Anyways,” Victor gives a light cough, “shall we?” Yuuri nods his assent and they begin walking again. 

The walk back from the park is quiet. Not uncomfortable, but companionable. Victor uses this silence to delve back into his thoughts. He knows he shouldn’t, that he should give his mind a rest and live in the moment for once in his life, but who would he be if he didn’t overthink everything? 

Much to Victor’s surprise, his thoughts turn quickly to Yuuri instead of work like he was expecting. He thinks about his hair, how the raven black locks looks silky smooth. How the sun gleams in it and gives Yuuri an ethereal look. How now that the moon is out, his hair shines and looks almost white in some places. He thinks about his chocolate brown eyes. How when the sun hits them just right, they looked like shiny copper with lighter hues lining the outsides of his iris. How Victor would love to stare into them all day. And his lips. Yuuri’s lips look soft. Not bitten like Victor’s. How they’re smooth like the skin of Yuuri’s face. How much Victor wants to trace the lines of Yuuri’s body and map him out beneath himself. 

At that last thought Victor nearly trips over his feat, stumbling a few feet before he steadies himself. Yuuri has an eyebrow raised at him in question, his arms outstretched in an attempt to catch the taller man. Victor flushes, embarrassed by his inability to focus enough on walking tonight. “Ah, uh.” Victor stutters out. “Sorry about that. I guess I really can’t focus tonight.” 

Yuuri looks worried now. “Victor, are you sure you’re alright?” There’s that look again. The one that wants to rub Victor the wrong way, but doesn’t because it’s on Yuuri’s face. “Yeah, I’m ok. My mind is never where it should be at the right time. I’m sorry if I worry you so much.” Yuuri doesn’t look convinced by Victor’s explanation, but he thankfully doesn’t pry. “Alright. Would you care for me to walk you home, or can you get there in one piece?” Victor laughs at the jab, “I can manage, thank you though.” Yuuri looks slightly put out for some reason, but he shrugs his shoulders. “Very well, I enjoyed our evening together. I hope your night gets better, Victor.” He turns his attention to Makkachin, scratching her ears and telling her to have a good night as well before he stands and they part ways. 

_ Fuck _ . Victor thinks to himself as he’s walking home. He’s careful to pay attention to his surrounds and makes it home without incident. He unhooks Makka’s leash and lets her wander into the house. Pulling out his phone, he sends Yuuri a message that he made it home safe. 

“ _ Glad to hear it. Have a good night, Victor. I’ll see you whenever you’re ready for your next lesson.” _

_ “I’ll let you know how my week ends up and will get back to you on that. But until then, good night, Yuuri.” _

Victor puts his phone on to charge and climbs into bed without preamble. He’s out like a light before too long. 

* * *

Yuuri gets home to Phichit bustling around in the kitchen. “Isn’t it a little late to be cooking, Phich?” Yuuri takes his shoes off by the door, hangs his keys on their peg and walks into their shared space. “Yeah it is, but I got hungry and tried to wait for you. There’s leftovers in the fridge if you want some. It’s just some soup, nothing special this evening. We need to go to the store for the week.” “Alright, if we make a list, I’ll go tomorrow.”

Phichit finishes up with the dishes and comes to sit next to Yuuri at the table. “So, how was your date with your shining pupil?” Yuuri rolls his eyes at his friend then frowns slightly, “Well he was very distracted this evening. I kept losing him to his thoughts. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking about most of the time. He said work at first, then dodged any further questioning the next time I lost him. I tried to shock him out of it, I got in his space and very suggestive, but it seemed to have made him pull further in on himself, so I guess that wasn’t the right thing to do.” Yuuri furrows his brows and thinks back over their evening. “He pointed out constellations to me, and we had a lovely conversation when he was in the moment. I think he struggles with that since he apparently doesn’t get out much.” 

Phichit listened to Yuuri while he worked through his thoughts about his evening. Sometimes it was just best to let the man sift through everything and get the whole of the story later. So he sat there and let Yuuri continue recounting his evening. Listened as Yuuri delved into their conversations. Then him getting on a tangent about Victor’s blue eyes in the setting sun. How the purples in the sky mixed into his sea blue eyes and made a color Yuuri wasn’t sure how to explain. 

Phichit smiled as his best friend fell silent not long after, getting lost in all his thoughts and fantasies of the man he’d become quickly enraptured by. Sure Phichit worries over his friend and how quick he was to trust and love people. His heart is always in the right place and there was not a bad bone in Yuuri’s body. Yuuri was the epitome of pure unadulterated innocence. But he trusts him, too. Trusts Yuuri to make the right decisions for himself and Phichit will always be there if shit hits the fan. But none of that stops him from worrying over how far gone Yuuri seems to be for a man who seems somewhat lost. 

Phichit has to admit he  _ was  _ curious about the man. Curious how someone could be a successful surgeon of any kind if they zoned out as much as Yurri says he does. He surely was different at work versus home but still, it can’t be good. But what does he know? He’s not the one spending time with him. 

“Yuuri?” Phichit interrupts whatever thought was running through his friend’s mind. “It’s getting late. Do you want to dance before I go to bed?” Yuuri perked right up, shooting a big smile to his best friend. “You know I’ll always dance with you, Phi! Your music or mine?” Phichit smiled at his friend, “We used mine last time, we can dance to yours tonight.” If it was even possible, Yuuri’s smile broadened further as he scrambled for his phone to pick a song. 

Phichit went to the living room to clear it. They tended to keep it empty for their late night dancing. He moved the couch back and pushed the coffee table to the wall, opening up the middle of the room for them to dance. Yuuri met him, thumb dangling over the song he chose, “Ready? It’s ‘Dizzy’ so you know the drill.” A wicked smile pulls across his face and Phichit rolls his eyes, “Spins. Really, Yuuri? It’s late and you want to spin?” “Come on Phiiii. You know I love when you spin me!” Yuuri bounces on his feet, his best puppy eyes trained on Phichit. “Fine! But only because I love you. You didn’t have to bust out your puppy eyes on me, geez.” “Love you too, Phich!” And with that, Yuuri pressed play and tossed his phone to the far side of the room. 

The steady polka-esque beat filled the room, both of them falling into the rhythm easily. Triple stepping near each other until Phichit grabs Yuuri’s hand and passes him through his first spin. They spin one another in long, wide circles across the room, trading places in the room with each pass they made. Phichit pulls Yuuri in for a tight spin, guiding him through each one until Yuuri is close. He puts their arms up and over their heads, crossing over to the front of Yuuri’s chest when he ends the spin against Phichit. He pushes Yuuri out in another spin the opposite direction, out the length of his arm. Stepping in close, Phichit places one hand on Yuuri’s hip, the other clasped next to them. They trade off in steps, hips whipping back and forth with their triple steps, Phichit pushing and pulling lightly at Yuuri’s hips. He guides them through a circular pattern like this. Then, he releases Yuuri’s hands and they separate briefly before coming close again for Phichit to pick Yuuri up, using their shared momentum to lift him from the ground and spin him ‘round before replacing him on the floor. After he does, Yuuri stretches one leg back and lifts the other as he dips back and the song comes to an end. Phichit supports his waist with one hand, the other grasping behind Yuuri’s lifted knee for their final pose. 

Huffing, Phichit releases Yuuri and they stand up. They move to put the table and couch back in their respective places. “You’re the best, Phi.” Yuuri gives his best friend a big bear hug when he says this. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Dance with a book or something, I don’t know. But I wouldn’t get to spin, that’s for sure.” Phichit laughs at his friend, “Oh stop, you’d find someone. But you’ll never replace me since you do have me. No matter how long you’ve danced with and learned from Minako, and no matter how far you and Victor get, I’m always number one, got it?” Yuuri laughed outright at his best friend’s mild jealousy. “Of course. Nobody could ever take your place.” “Good. Now, I’m going to shower and pass out. See ya in the morning!” “Night, Phi!”

Yuuri fetches his phone then walks back to his room, taking his shirt off as he goes and unbuttoning his jeans. God he hates jeans. He tosses his shirt to the floor, promising himself he’ll pick it up in the morning. He steps out of his jeans right next to the discarded shirt and climbs up into bed. Pulling out his phone, he looks over his messages. He hopes Victor will keep his word about messaging if something comes up and he needs a friend.

Yuuri smiles at the thought of Victor reaching out and asking for him to come over. Or for them to go out. Get some fresh air, go for more walks together. Explore different parks, go to gardens, find a spot on the beach where it’s just them and they can exist together. Anything, really. As long as he’s with Victor, Yuuri would be more than happy. 

Yuuri wants nothing more than to help Victor come back to reality. Help ground him when his mind wanders into the distant recesses of himself and gets lost. Be there for the man when his thoughts consume him and be the anchor that helps him hold on to the here and now instead of whatever journey his mind takes him on. 

Maybe Victor would let Yuuri chase the lonely away from his apartment. Spend nights together with their bodies pressed against one another, Yuuri placing delicate kisses down Victor’s chest. Yuuri could map out Victor’s body with hips lips, he thinks. Memorize everything about Victor until he knows him like Yuuri knows dance. 

Yuuri already yearns to learn Victor’s ways. To become so familiar with the man that their lives intertwine in every way possible. He wants to dance with Victor, to be the one he comes home to at night, and the first person he sees in the morning. Wants to be the one to make Victor smile and be the reason Victor chooses to live in the moment instead of locked up in his own mind. 

Yuuri wants to take care of Victor. To be there for him until the end of time. He can only hope right now that the feeling is mutual. 

With a sigh, Yuuri plugs his phone in and rolls over. Falling easily into sleep with pleasant dreams of dancing with a certain silver-haired beauty. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this chapter. Hopefully y'all are enjoying this so far. I promise it's going somewhere, and will have a happy ending


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this one. It ended up being a bit longer, and life got in the way of writing.

Victor knew he was one of the best oncologists in the area. He knew he was highly requested and sought out by people in search of help. He even did his best to help every patient that came into his clinic despite how thin he had to spread himself as a result. He just hated people feeling any sort of pain or confusion at their condition and having to wonder what the next day, week, or month held for them. 

Victor did everything he could to help everyone, he really did. But today was too much. There’s too many people in the clinic. He certainly didn’t have this many patients and the other doctors sure as hell didn’t suddenly get such a large influx on a  _ Monday _ of all days. Victor felt like he was running around with his head cut off. 

Many of the people were here incorrectly, thankfully, and his nurses were able to redirect them to the proper locations. Even so, Victor felt like the waiting room never thinned. Felt like no matter how many people he or the other doctors in today saw, there was always three more behind them. His regular morning patients, the ones he’d actually planned on seeing today, came in at their respective times and were subject to the mayhem that was happening for some reason today. Victor didn’t know if there was a mess up in somebody’s system or if local physicians had it out for him today, but his patience was starting to wear thin and it was only 11:45 in the morning. This was going to be one of the longest days ever. And again, it was only Monday. 

Victor swallowed his annoyance and pasted on a smile as the person who was sitting in front of him explained how the “lump” spreading on their arm had started growing. They weren’t gaining any weight and were confused. When they googled it, they learned it was from cancer and came rushing here to get it removed. “Well,” Victor started in as polite a tone as he could muster, “I do see the 'lump,' and I understand your concern, but sir, I can tell you right now that it isn’t cancer.” “What? How can you so sure? Aren’t there tests you have to run to be able to say that definitely?” Victor clenched his jaw and bit back his initial response. “Yes sir there are tests we run when a patient has exhausted all avenues and has been  _ referred  _ by their primary physician and a radiologist has said that,  _ yes,  _ they have a cancerous growth. But you, sir, have  _ fluid  _ that has built up in your arm. It’s a case of Lymphedema. Your lymphatic system is blocked somewhere and needs to be drained. Nothing more. I will get you a referral to a proper doctor for it.” “Wait you can’t do it? Why can’t you just take care of it? I’m already here.” 

Victor took in a deep breath. Holding it before exhaling. “Sir, this is a clinic for people with cancer. I have many patients to tend to today, and this particular facility is not equipped to drain retained water or clear a blockage. I apologize for the inconvenience. I will have a nurse sent in with the necessary paperwork to get you on your way.” Before the man could so much as open his mouth to reply, Victor was up and out of the room. He flagged down the nearest nurse and told her to take care of the man in there. She groaned, but nodded and went off to get all the paperwork she needed. 

Sighing, Victor pinched the bridge of his nose and went to find his head nurse. Upon seeing her at the reception desk picking up files, he stops her, “Norma, why do we have people in rooms that don’t have cancer, a tumor, or an ailment we are equipped to help them?” He tries to mediate his tone. He knows everyone is worked up at the apparent shit storm in the lobby. It certainly isn’t her fault that this happened on a Monday of all days, but Victor has about had his fill. 

“Doctor, I’m sorry. We can only catch so many and we are all tired. I will remind the nurses to only give you your patients and those that need your assistance. We will handle the rest and finding the doctors they actually need. I don’t know what happened where, but I swear when I find out who gave us the worst Monday of the month, they are going to wish they hadn’t.” 

Victor smiles at her. He’s always admired the woman and her ability to handle any situation. Especially when things got chaotic, she always kept a level head and handled situations. He’d truly be lost without her around. 

“Thank you. It doesn’t look like we’ll get much of a lunch break, but please make sure everyone gets at least 15 minutes to sit and relax at some point today. You all deserve more, but I don’t know if we can afford it.” Smiling warmly, she hands over a file for him to go to his next patient. “Of course. Here’s your next one. Room 5.”

Sighing Victor opens the folder as he makes his way to the room. Looking it over, he sees its one of his patients that is in for their post-op checkup. When he walks into the room, he pastes on what he hopes is a convincing smile. 

***

Somehow he makes it through the day. Victor isn’t sure he’s completely alive, but he made it. Hoping beyond hope that tomorrow is a normal day, with his normal patients. He contemplates shooting Chris a message to discuss his nightmare of a day, but he knows that would come with an invitation to drink, and Victor really just wants to crawl into bed and forget the day. 

So he does. He gets home, takes Makkachin out for her evening walk, puts some food down for her, then crawls into bed, hoping to fall asleep early for once. Just as he’s about to fall asleep, however, his stomach growls. Victor realizes then that he hadn’t eaten at all today. He skipped breakfast that morning and had worked through lunch. 

Groaning, he gets up and explores his kitchen. There isn’t much in the way of snacks he could munch on to tide him over until morning, and he certainly isn’t in the mood to cook. Victor heaves his most put-upon sigh and reaches for his phone to call for some takeout. But what does he even want? He really doesn’t feel like eating right now even though he knows he needs to if he doesn’t want a headache when he wakes up. 

He fights the urge to chuck his phone and go to sleep anyway. Knowing he won’t get anywhere just staring at his screen, Victor puts decent clothes back on and grabs his keys. He’ll just drive around until he sees something he knows he can stomach. 

Makkachin looks at him expectantly as he opens the door. “Sorry, girl, you’ll have to stay here. I’ll be back hopefully soon.” She whines, but doesn’t move from her spot as he closes the door behind him and locks it. 

While he’s driving around, he sees a small cafe. He decides he would love a cup of tea and a pastry would suffice to get him through the night. It’s not like he was going to eat a grand meal or finish whatever he bought from some fast food restaurant. 

He parks and heads into the cafe. The smell of coffee hits him first, followed shortly by the sticky sweet smells of the deserts on display. His stomach growls at him again as he steps up to order. He didn’t bother looking the place over, simply planning on ordering his drink and dessert to-go and be on his way. But as fate would have it, the person ordering in front of him was none other than Yuuri. 

When Yuuri turns, he startles when he notices Victor standing behind him. “Oh! Hi Victor, I didn’t see you there.” He feels a blush creeping into his face, but ignores it. Victor smiles a pained smile, the stress of the day still weighing heavy on his shoulders, “Hi, Yuuri.” Yuuri looks him over, concern written all over his face. “Care to sit with me after you order?” Victor would rather get back home as soon as possible, but when he meets those sweet chocolate eyes, he can’t say no. “Sure, let me order and I’ll go to you.” Yuuri smiles as he nods his head and walks off.

Victor orders a spiced tea and a small muffin that caught his eye in the display case, hoping it tastes as good as it looks. After he pays and collects his muffin, he turns to look for where Yuuri went to sit. He finds him in a corner, partially blocked from the view of the other patrons in the cafe.

Yuuri hasn’t gotten his drink yet, so Victor decides to wait until they both have them to munch on his muffin. As he sits down, Yuuri speaks up, “What brings you here this evening, Victor?” Yuuri still looks mildly worried about Victor's current state, but hides it behind his warm smile. Victor tries to return the smile, but knows he again falls short. “I couldn’t sleep because I didn’t eat all day, and I didn’t know what to eat, so I just drove around until I saw something that piqued my interests. I settled on tea and I suppose this muffin.” Victor shrugs noncommittally as he says this, like it’s no big deal for him to not eat then go for a muffin as his single meal of the day. “That… Victor, that can’t be good for your health. And pardon my rudeness, but you look like shit.” 

Victor snorts because isn’t  _ that  _ the understatement of the century. He feels like he got run over by a train twice over then hit over the head with a sledgehammer, and no he’s not being dramatic for once. Not thinking before he spoke, he hears himself say, “That, my dear Yuuri, is an understatement. Not only do I look it, but I feel it.” After the words have caught up in his brain, his eyes go wide and he shuts his mouth with a click. Looking up at Yuuri, he sees the faint blush return to his cheeks and his eyebrows raised. “Ah… sorry. I had a long day, you’ll have to forgive me,” Victor mumbles, but he knows Yuuri can hear him. 

Yuuri just waves him off as their beverages are placed on the table for them. They say their thanks and turn their attention to the steaming cups in front of them for a moment. Victor stares into his mug like it holds all life’s answers. Yuuri wraps his hands around his mug and brushes his leg lightly against Victor’s under the table. Victor startles and looks up from his mug to see Yuuri smiling at him again. “Care to talk about your day? It might help you feel better.” Yuuri makes no move to remove the light pressure of his leg against Victor’s and Victor can’t find it in himself to move his leg either. 

“I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining.” Victor averts his gaze, going for a bite of his muffin now that their drinks are here. Yuuri hums and increases the pressure of his leg leaning against Victor’s slightly. “I’m all ears, Victor. You can complain all you want, I really don’t mind.”

Victor sighs and stretches his long legs out beneath the table, maintaining the contact of their legs. “Well I guess it couldn’t hurt anything.” He picks up his mug and sips from his tea, slightly burning his tongue as it was still hot. “It was like a zoo, honestly. I don’t know what happened where, but today was a thing of nightmares.” He feels himself shiver involuntarily just thinking about it. Yuuri must notice because he chuckles lightly and rubs his leg against Victor’s again. “What happened that was so nightmarish to make you shiver like that?”

Victor takes in a deep breath and recounts his day. The horror on his face when he walked into the clinic and was bombarded by nurses asking when he had taken on so many new patients over the course of the weekend and why had he not gotten here earlier to attend them. His annoyance when he quickly realized that many of the people in his waiting room did not belong there and he and his staff had to go through all of them, ask them questions, and find them the proper doctor for their needs. 

When he told Yuuri about the man who had Lymphedema, Yuuri laughed outright. His eyes crinkled up at the side and he covered his mouth with his hand. Victor felt a warmth bloom in his chest that he knew wasn’t from the tea, but he couldn’t quite place the cause of. Yuuri regained his composure and asked between breaths, “So… the guy comes in for your help, you give him an answer as to what’s wrong, yeah?” He heaves a breath, “And you let him know, then he doesn’t believe you because ‘ _ the internet said’ _ (and we all know how reliable  _ that _ is), then he gets upset when you can’t help him then and there?” He falls into a fit of giggles again and Victor can’t help but marvel at how beautiful Yuuri is when he’s smiling like this. “I’m sorry, Victor, I’m sure that was a very stressful situation for you, but people’s ignorance and refusal to believe an  _ actual doctor _ because they looked something up is just too funny to me.” 

Victor realized he was smiling at Yuuri then. He quickly pulls his mug to his mouth and gulps at his tea. His muffin having been finished long since and his tea nearly gone, he had to admit he was feeling better about his evening. He didn’t feel wound tight like when he’d come in, and the tension in his body had subsided some. Victor looked over at Yuuri who was wiping a stray tear from his eye. And for whatever reason, even after having been sat across from him and talking to him for all this time, Victor just now realizes that Yuuri is wearing glasses. Just how self absorbed can one man be? And before he can stop himself, because his brain clearly has no intention of working around Yuuri, he blurts, “You’re wearing glasses,” like it isn’t the most obvious thing. 

Yuuri stops his eye-rubbing motion and peers at Victor through his one open and non-finger occupied eye. “Uh, yeah. I am.” Yuuri removes his finger from his eye and fixes the frames against his face. “Have you not seen them before? I’ve had them on this whole time.” 

Victor feels his face heat up and he looks down at his hands. “Oh, uh. Sorry. I really hadn’t noticed them. They look nice, though.” And  _ honestly,  _ how could he not have seen them? They’re blue frames and Victor has been staring at Yuuri for the majority of the time they’ve been sitting there. He even thought about the crinkle of Yuuri’s eyes when he’d laughed and not noticed the frames until now. 

Yuuri sets his elbows on the table, resting his face on the palms of hands. His fingers are pushing his cheeks up, causing his glasses to go askew on his face, but he ignores it. He hums deep in his throat and pushes at Victor’s leg to get his attention again. “Thank you,” he says with a smile. “I don’t tend to wear them at the club because dancing and glasses just don’t mix. But when I’m not there, or I don’t feel like wearing contacts, I have my glasses on.” 

Victor looks across the table at Yuuri. Taking in the sight of him and his bunched up cheeks, the way his glasses have tilted on his face, his hair that has started to fall in strands around his eyes. And Victor might just admit himself into a hospital after tonight because he hears himself say, “You look adorable like that.” And thank the heavens his motor pathways are not as defunct as his speaking ones, because he’s able to stop the hand he  _ almost  _ raised to correct Yuuri’s glasses against his face. 

Yuuri’s skin darkens with his blush. He tilts his head to the side in his hands and gives Victor a soft, closed-mouth smile before saying, “thank you.” They fall into silence for a while. It isn’t uncomfortable. There is no weight between them. Victor feels content in the moment; his legs stretched beneath the table with one of Yuuri’s maintaining contact. The ambiance of the coffee shop surrounding them calms Victor. He didn’t realize just how nice it was to sit in companionable silence with someone until now.

“This is nice,” he thinks aloud. “Hm?” Yuuri blinks over at him and Victor wonders if maybe he’d dozed off for a moment. “Oh, I just said that this is nice.” He waves his hand around, encompassing the coffee shop and then the two of them. “I didn’t realize sitting in a coffee shop could be so relaxing. Although I think that has more to do with the fact that I’m not sitting alone with work on the table than anything else.” 

Yuuri sits up, removing his hands from his face, leaving behind red circles on his cheeks. He straightens his glasses after rubbing at his eyes. “Yeah, it can be pretty relaxing here.” Yuuri reaches his hands above his head and leans back in his chair, stretching out his back. As he does so, his shirt lifts slightly at the bottom, and Victor’s eyes immediately flit down. He spares a glance at the creamy skin beneath the shirt before he averts his eyes so as not to get caught staring. 

“Can I get your mug for you? I’ll take them up to the front for us.” Victor reaches his hand over to grab Yuuri’s mug after he’s put his on the small saucer that held his muffin. “Oh, sure. Thank you, Victor.” Yuuri sounds tired, so Victor makes quick work of their dishes as Yuuri gets up with a groan. 

Victor waits for Yuuri by the counter and they walk out together. It’s a windy night, but not unbearable. Yuuri stretches his hands above his head once more, a groan leaving his mouth at the stretch. Victor has to turn his face away because not only does he not need to see  _ more _ of Yuuri’s stomach this evening or have the thoughts to go with it, but that groan is going to play on repeat in his mind and his cheeks have warmed at the sound. 

When he looks back over, Yuuri is looking up at him with a tired smile on his face, “Well I hope I helped you have a mildly more pleasant evening, and I certainly hope tomorrow is a better day for you at work, Victor.” And because he’s tired, or maybe because he’s just that weak, Victor doesn’t stop himself from reaching his hand out and brushing a stray lock of Yuuri’s black hair from his face as he answers, “My night has improved tenfold thanks to you. I really can’t thank you enough for offering to hear me out this evening. I guess the stars aligned in my favor for once in my life.” 

Yuuri seemingly unconsciously leans into the motion of Victor moving his hair. “Hm, well, I hope they start to align in your favor more often from now on. Message me when you get home safe?” Victor knows he can’t stand here all night staring at Yuuri, and he knows the other man is tired, so he smiles his first genuine smile of the day and says, “Of course. Have a good night, Yuuri, and thank you again for this.” 

“Of course, Victor. Anytime.” Yuuri stands there watching Victor with his tired eyes, “I mean that. You can call me whenever and I’ll come. The club can handle itself, or Phichit can handle things while I’m gone. If you ever need anything, I’m just a phone call away.” 

Victor has never wanted to hug someone so much in his life, but he restrains himself. Unsure of himself in this moment. “Thank you, Yuuri.” And before the other man can say anything else, Victor is headed to his car. 

He hadn’t meant to stay up an additional two hours talking about his stressful day with anyone, and while he’s certainly glad he did, he feels his tired body starting to protest being awake. Thankfully his drive home is as uneventful as the one to the cafe. 

Once he was inside, Makkachin came up to him, sniffing at his leg incessantly. “What’s up girl?” She runs a circle around Victor’s legs, sniffing the whole way. After she’d made a couple rounds of his legs, she wove herself between them and looked up at him expectantly with a slight huff. “You smell Yuuri, don’t you, girl? You must really like him if you’re acting like this.” Victor reaches down and ruffles her ears. He steps lightly so as not to accidentally step on one of her paws. 

Pulling out his phone, he opens his messages and presses on the message thread with Yuuri.

_ “Just got home. Makkachin inspected me thoroughly and seems offended I didn’t bring her to see you." _

_ “I’m glad you made it home safe, I just arrived home as well. Please pass my apologies on to your sweet girl, our meeting was unplanned otherwise she would have been more than welcome. (:” _

_ “I’ll let her know. Maybe then she’ll quit moping around. *eyeroll* Thank you again for this evening, Yuuri. I hope the remainder of your night is pleasant, good night.” _

_ “Thank you, Victor. I wish the same for you, good night.” _

_ *** _

The next day, all was as it should have been. His regular patients came in and there was no mayhem in the clinic. Victor was so relieved that he didn’t even realize when he’d finished for the day and could go home. And much to Victor’s relief, the remainder of the week went by much the same. 

When Friday came, Victor got himself out of bed and ready to go to the surgical center for the day. He should have 3 cases for the day and be done. If all goes well, he should be able to eat more than once today. He’d also be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t happy he gets to see Chris today. Today had the potential to be a good day, and Victor was really hoping it would be for once. 

His first surgery went without mishap. The surgery was a complete success, and the patient would be able to heal up quickly and return to work in a month’s time. Victor gave a pleased hum as he prepped for his second case, waiting by the board with the day’s cases before he scrubbed in. Chris was the anesthesiologist on this case, so Victor was already mentally preparing himself for his chatty friend. 

When Victor knew it was about time to start the surgery, he scrubbed and entered the operating room. The surgical tech robed and gloved him, careful to keep everything sterile. Victor walked around the operating table, looking the area over that he was going to be working on. He requested a scalpel from the tech and set to work. 

Chris, true to his nature and just as Victor had presumed, spoke up relatively early in the surgery. “So what’s new, Victor? Go on any hot dates?” Victor can hear the taunt in his friend’s voice and decides he’ll rise to the bait for once. “I have, actually” This response garners some gasps from not only Chris, but the nurse in the room as well. “Two, if you were wondering.” 

Chris looks at Victor like he’d just grown a second head. “You went on  _ two _ dates and didn’t tell me? Victor, I’m hurt.” He puts his best pout on his face and Victor rolls his eyes at the dramatics. “Well, to be fair, they were both severely unplanned and I fell asleep as soon as I got home after both of them. Hard to text you when I’m asleep.” “Fair enough,” Chris mumbles, but Victor knows he hasn’t heard the last of this from his friend. He doesn’t mind it, though. He’s actually looking forward to talking to Chris about how he’s been, his meetups with Yuuri, and asking how his friend has been. 

Victor stitches up the incision he made to remove the tumor from the man’s leg, gave the nurse the regular instructions, removed his gloves and robe, then left the room. Chris stayed behind to wake the patient, so Victor waited for him in the hall. When Chris came out, they headed up to the lounge for the time being. Chris was his anesthesiologist for his final surgery of the day and they had some time to kill. 

Once in the lounge, Chris grabbed a banana from the fruit basket provided and Victor an apple. They sit down together and Chris wastes no time getting to the root of the matter. “So, tell me all about your  _ two  _ hot dates.” Victor smirked and took a bite from his apple, “Well, the first one I’m not sure would actually count as a date. Well neither of them, really, but I did spend two evenings with Yuuri.” Victor recounts his first evening with Yuuri, how they’d gotten coffee and taken a walk to a park so Makkachin could stretch her legs and walk some that night. Victor expressed how he’d regretfully been very out of it that evening due to the fact that he’d spent all weekend doing paperwork, and he was worried he may have deterred Yuuri. He tells Chris how Yuuri offered for them to meet up more often so he could get out more and clear his head. He tells Chris about how Yuuri’s concern for him started to rub him the wrong way even though the man had meant well. Chris interjects here, “Hey, I know it’s hard, but he doesn’t know about your parents. He really only knows surface-level you. If you really want to get to know him and spend more time with him, you may want to consider letting him in on your past and why you have trouble focusing around people the way you do. And while I know he’s a very distracting person in general, he isn’t the first one you’ve been like this with. Maybe, and you’ll have to decide, but he seems willing to help you, so maybe let him in. You never sought help after your mom passed from cancer and your dad fell into grief. You threw yourself into your studies and avoided everyone for so long. It’s all I can do to get you out from time to time.” 

Victor sighs. He knows his best friend is right. Knows he should really see a therapist and sort through all his repressed memories, but he doesn’t have the time to take care of that. And besides, he’s doing fine now. Being spacey isn’t all that bad. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” Victor mumbles. “But also, maybe dancing with him can be a healthy outlet and I won’t have to go through talking about those memories? I don’t know right now. We’ll see where things go between he and I. It’s still all so new, so thinking too far into the future won’t do any of us any good.” 

Chris shrugs and tosses the banana peel into the trash. “Tell me about date number two before we have to go back.” Victor huffs a laugh, “Alright, alright. That one was even more unplanned than the first. I ran into him Monday night at a cafe. Monday was absolute hell in the clinic.” Victor tells Chris about his Monday from hell and how when he’d gotten home he realized he hadn’t eaten all day and didn’t plan to until his stomach protested. He left because none of the limited options he had at home appealed to him and real food just wasn’t going to do it for him. He stopped at a random cafe for tea and a pastry and Yuuri was there. They actually had a much nicer evening together then and Yuuri helped Victor calm down and cheer up. Chris smirks across the table at his friend when Victor mentions how their legs had been in contact under the table nearly the whole time they were there. 

With time for their final surgery of the day approaching, the two men stood and returned to the operating wing. “Will you go this evening for you dance lessons, then,” Chris asks as they walk. “Yeah, I figure I’ll message Yuuri after this case since I’m done for the day and see what time works for him. What about you? What will you do with your evening?” Chris smiles and hums, turning his face away, “I haven’t decided just yet. It is Friday, we could go drinking and you can watch your beauty dance tonight instead of having a lesson. Meet up with him for that tomorrow or something. He’s already had two evenings with you this week while I’ve had none.” Chris puts a pout on his face that makes Victor laugh. “Oh what the hell, Chris. You know I can’t deny you when you pout at me. But you and I both know you'll ditch me for your boyfriend early in the night so I don't see what the difference is here. Let’s get through this then we can grab a bite to eat and go from there, though.” Chris lights up. Victor really missed him this week.

***

When they leave, Victor drives them to a sandwich shop and they eat and catch up on the rest of their week. Victor learns that Chris worked a surgery on a kid who wanted to fight the anesthesia for as long as possible. He laughed when he told Victor how the kid was so determined to stay awake and swore up and down that he wouldn’t fall asleep, but once he’d administered the anesthetic, the kid’s words slurred and he was out nearly immediately. They shared a laugh over this. It isn’t unusual for kids to try to do that, but it never works. Sometimes adults can fight it for a minute or so, but at that point, it’s best to just administer a small amount extra so the case isn’t delayed. 

They fall into comfortable conversation about everything and nothing. Talking about random non sensibles to pass the time and just talk to one another. Chatting with Chris like this is like a breath of fresh air for Victor. It isn’t often that he gets to just talk, or listen and not have to worry about anything or anyone. What Victor loves most about Chris is his ability to jump from topic to topic and not care if they leave one behind in favor of another mid-sentence or thought. Victor relishes in the fact that he doesn’t have to try to carry the conversation himself or that it will turn to something he doesn’t want to discuss because Chris never pushes him. He always meets Victor where he’s at and doesn’t try to go further. Victor doesn't know what he did to deserve such an amazing friend. 

Once they’ve both exhausted their conversations, finished their food and drinks, they head back to Victor’s place. Chris likes to keep clothes there so he doesn’t have to go all the way to his house on nights like these. So they change, both putting on dress slacks and pressed button ups beneath overcoats for the evening. 

Victor settles into a navy blue set, his crisp white shirt tucked neatly into the deep navy pants. He pulls out his black suspenders, clasping them to the waist of his pants and slides them up onto his shoulders. He sits down on the edge of his bed and slips his feet into a pair of dark brown leather shoes, tying the laces neatly before standing. He grabs the matching navy blazer, sliding an arm in, feeling the materials glide against one another. Once he’s straightened the blazer and fixed his hair, Chris blows a low whistle at him. “I didn’t realize we were dressing to impress tonight.” 

Victor laughed, “Like you’re any better over there in your favorite olive suit. What’s your excuse, huh?” Chris was dressed to the nines himself, his immaculate olive suite bringing out his chartreuse eyes. Chris shakes his head, “No. Victor, you haven’t put on a suit in so long that I haven't chosen for you. Let alone this suit that you  _ know  _ brings out how bright your eyes are. You, my darling, are out to impress someone tonight.” Chris steps into Victor’s space, slipping his hand beneath the navy blazer to pull at Victor’s suspenders, “Does your dear Yuuri mean so much to you that you’d pull out your favorite and most complimenting attire for our night out?” Chris smirks then, knowing he caught Victor. 

And Victor can’t deny anything either because that’s exactly what happened. Albeit he had truly just grabbed a suit, not realizing that it was his favorite and most complimenting one. He had decided to leave the neck of the shirt open, choosing to forgo a tie in place of leaving the top couple buttons undone instead. Victor smiles to his friend as he steps back, “Finish getting ready before I decide this isn’t a good idea.” 

Chris quickly styles his hair, then they set out for the club. They attract stares as they walk together, both looking very posh this evening. Victor walks with an air of confidence about him that he hasn’t felt in so long. He hadn’t realized how long he’d gone without dressing up like this. How much he’d been turning down formal invitations and social gatherings of late. Victor hadn’t even gone to any oncologist gatherings or research symposiums in so long, he felt some anxiety start to creep into his body. He should really reconnect with his community beyond the hospital. Maybe it would help his mental state to get back into all aspects of the job he loved so dearly.

Chris linked their arms together as they neared the club. “Ready for another fun night?” He waggled his eyebrows at Victor who just rolled his eyes and smiled. Chris shrugged, “I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s get on in there and see our men then.”

It was then that Victor realized he never actually messaged Yuuri that they were coming tonight. He wonders what the other man would think of him showing up and not having messaged him all day. 

Victor gets his answer soon enough as the very man in question is already standing at the bar drinking with the woman from last time. Minako, was it? Victor thinks that was her name, but he isn’t certain. His eyes are too busy taking in the sight of Yuuri in a complete suit tonight. Black dress pants pressed and neat, white button up tucked neatly into them beneath a deep cut vest, and bowtie placed neatly at his throat. His jacket was open, and Victor could see how his shirt was pulled back against the tight muscles of Yuuri’s stomach with the barest hint of weight clinging to his hips. Victor couldn’t see his butt from this angle, not that he was explicitly looking mind you, but he already knew from the way Yuuri’s slacks fit his thighs that they fit like a glove over his back side. Yuuri’s hair was slicked back, not a hair out of place tonight. He looked like beauty personified, and Victor could get drunk just staring at him. 

Yuuri was motioning with his left hand while he was talking to his friends, and when he finished, he slid his hand easily into his pants pocket. The motion smooth and fluid, clearly something he does often. And now, the way he is standing, weight braced on his right elbow, drink in his hand, long legs extended in front of him with one foot crossed over the other was sending Victor’s mind to places it was too early in the night for it to be. So he looks away, still being pulled by Chris towards the bar and the man he’d been checking out. Victor feels nervous all over again. His mind racing with questions and flooding his body with anxiety. ‘ _ Was this suit too much for tonight?’ ‘Chris was dressed up as well, but that was nothing out of sorts for the man, he loved looking his best.’ ‘What if he doesn’t like how I look in this suit?’ ‘What if - _ ’ 

His inner turmoil was cut short by their arrival at the bar. Chris untangled his arm from Victor’s, swiftly wrapping the bartender up in a hug as soon as he came ‘round the counter. The smaller man looked lovely in his dark charcoal grey suit this evening. He noticed that everyone was dressed rather nice tonight instead of being more casual like the first night Victor had come here. He wonders to himself if he missed some sort of event going on or something. 

Victor couldn’t hold on to that thought for long either, though, because he felt the weight of Yuuri’s eyes on him then. And they felt heavy. When he looked over to him, Yuuri’s eyes were roving over Victor’s body. He looked like he was ready to pounce on the taller man despite not having changed positions from the one Victor had been pining over not long ago. Victor can see the woman smiling behind Yuuri, looking between the two of them before she shakes her head and gets up. She pats Yuuri on the shoulder, who breaks his stare to look at her with a questioning eyebrow raised. She shoos him over towards Victor who hasn’t left the spot Chris left him at. 

As Yuuri approached him, Victor reaches down and unbuttons his blazer with one hand, already feeling too hot in the damn thing. Yuuri’s eyes are drawn to the motion, watching Victor’s hand work the buttons with practiced precision before he looks back up to meet Victor’s eyes.

“You look absolutely ravishing this evening. I should have known better than to think you didn’t have suits as beautiful as you are.” Yuuri’s voice is warm, his eyes ablaze, and his skin beginning to flush. Victor thinks, not for the first time, that he’s never seen someone so beautiful in his life. It’s also now that Victor notices the music playing tonight isn’t the same as before. The music is much more relaxing, the lights are not fanning out in rave, and there is nobody out sweating on the dance floor. Victor is pulled from his thoughts by Yuuri placing his hand on his chest, rubbing the fabric of his shirt. He tenses beneath the touch, breaths coming short as he looks down to Yuuri.

“Feels expensive. Guess there won’t be any ripping off of our shirts this evening. Not that I’d want to with how stunning you look. Oh?” Yuuri slides his hand over Victor’s chest, sliding his blazer to the side to look at his suspenders. Yuuri takes in a deep breath. “Oh, Victor, what are you doing to me?” Yuuri slips his fingers beneath the fabric of the suspender, running it between them as he pulls lightly at the dark leather.

Victor swallows hard, “I could say the same to you, Yuuri. You are absolutely breathtaking tonight.” Victor reaches his hand up, placing his index finger beneath Yuuri’s chin, lifting his face to meet Victor’s eyes. He runs his thumb across Yuuri’s chin, pulling down lightly at the smooth skin. 

At the bar, the trio are watching Yuuri and Victor where they stand. Chris is smiling fondly at his friend, happy for him finally starting to come out of his shell more. Phichit at his shoulder has a wide grin on his face, overjoyed that the feeling seems to be mutual between the two after all and that he’d worried over seemingly nothing that the man didn’t return Yuuri’s feelings. Minako rolled her eyes and took a long drink from her wine. “Your friend looks like he’s trying to undress Yuuri with his eyes over there, Chris. I haven’t seen two people so starstruck by one another than those two in a long time. And I’ve had to watch you two more than I’d like to put a number to.” Phichit laughs lightly, “Oh be happy for him, would you? We know how long it’s been since he’s actually felt for someone.” Chris looks over at Phichit, a small frown tugging at his lips, “What do you mean, darling?” Phichit turns his attention to the taller man, “Oh, Yuuri doesn’t tend to have the best luck with relationships, and while I trust you and your judgement of your best friend, we’ve still been looking out for our Yuuri. But it seems we didn’t need to.” Phichit smiles warmly up at Chris and pecks his cheek, “And as much as I’d love to continue watching my best friend swoon over yours, I’d much rather swoon over you.” Chris laughs and pulls Phichit into his arms, “Well then, how about we make our exit?” Phichit waves Minami over, telling him he has the bar for the remainder of the night. Chris gets up and the pair leaves Minako sitting at the bar. 

Minako sighs and gets up, too. She treats herself to a new bottle of wine from behind the bar before walking over to the pair having eye sex in the middle of everything. “Ahem.” She clears her throat behind Yuuri, “You two may want to move this party elsewhere. Find a room or go literally anywhere other than the middle of everything if you’re going to make such obvious eyes between yourselves.” Yuuri’s eyes go wide, and he starts laughing like it’s nothing while Victor’s face heats up at least three shades of red. “I suppose you’re right, Minako. Come on, Victor. We can go upstairs and have a space to ourselves. I’m sure our friends have already done the same.” And just like that, Victor is being pulled by the hand, following in Yuuri’s wake as he’s directed up stairs he didn’t even know were here. 

“I didn’t even know there was an upstairs.” Victor muses aloud as he looks at the change in scenery. It’s darker up here if that’s even possible. The wall lights providing just enough light to see where you are going, but not so much as to be offensive to the eyes or light nooks and crannies. “Hm? Oh, well, I tend to designate upstairs for people who want to have a more discreet meeting or get together, if you catch my drift. But tonight is a different night where the main dancefloor has been requested for the evening which is why the music was different. So, upstairs is where the party is. There’s another, albeit smaller, dancefloor up here, so this is where the fun dancing is happening tonight. It’s also where the private rooms are. And if you’re alright with it, I’d love very much to take you to one.” Yuuri has turned around and is looking at Victor with eyes full of want, but also waiting for the taller man to make a decision. 

Victor’s eyes went wide, his brain short circuiting as it tends to do around Yuuri. He’s really leaving this up to Victor, isn’t he? How is Victor supposed to say no? How could he? But is he actually ready for things to become  _ more  _ between them? Can he handle that? Will he be able to treat Yuuri how he so clearly deserves? Victor realizes he’s taking too long to respond. Yuuri is shifting on his feet, looking down now and mumbling things. 

“We don’t have to, of course. I didn’t mean to be so up front about it. If you aren’t ready to, or aren’t interested in me like that, it’s alright. I just… I just thought there was a mutual…” Yuuri’s words fade out and he seems to pull into himself. “Sorry,” he mumbles. And Victor can’t take it. He knows how he feels about Yuuri. Has a suspicion he’s known all along, but he’s so screwed in the head, he was trying to convince himself otherwise in some twisted sort of self-preservation. So he reaches his hand out and again cups Yuuri’s chin, “Lead the way, Yuuri.”

Yuuri’s eyes go wide and his mouth opens the barest amount. VIctor leans down and places a light kiss to his open lips. Yuuri leans up into the kiss, chasing Victor’s lips when he stands back up. Yuuri grabs Victor’s hands and practically drags him down a dark hallway filled with doors. He goes all the way to the end of the hall, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. “I never let anyone down this far, so please don’t worry about anyone having been in here before us.” Yuuri turns around to look at Victor, hand still resting on the door handle, “You’re sure about this?” Yuuri’s voice is soft and he sounds unsure of himself. Perhaps worried that Victor will turn and leave him at the door. 

Victor places his hand over Yuuri’s and opens the door, pushing both of them into the room, connecting their mouths as he leans in. Yuuri hurriedly closes and locks the door before Victor traps him up against the door in a kiss filled with desperation on both parts. 

Victor puts both his hands on either side of Yuuri’s face, boxing him in between the door and his own body. Yuuri’s hands are on him in an instant, grabbing his face and pulling him down, deepening the kiss. His hands slide down after, dragging down Victor’s chest before sliding to his sides and down to his hips. Victor shudders lightly at the feeling of Yuuri’s warm hands on him. 

This might be a long night. And Victor can’t find it in himself to care, so he loses himself in the feeling of Yuuri. Lets himself be in the moment like he’s never been before. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We start off the next chapter with Victor finally indulging himself! Will it end as happily as it's starting??


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Howdy y'all. I am so sorry for how long it's been, but I'm going to revive this bad boy. Enjoy this entire chapter of sexy times. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'm going to try to get it up a lot sooner than this one was. Apologies for any typos.

They quickly divest one another of their overcoats, the rich fabrics of each ending in a pile on the floor by the door. Yuuri’s hands explore Victor’s body as if he were a man starved for life. He can’t find it in him to stop Yuuri, though, because he’s returning the favor tenfold while they kiss.

Victor is so lost in Yuuri’s presence that he doesn’t realize until the backs of his knees connect with a cushion that they’ve been moving. He sits with a huff, Yuuri following him down and sitting his knees to either side of Victor’s hips. Victor groans and rolls his hips up into Yuuri, eliciting the most beautiful of sounds he’s ever heard. 

Yuuri throws his head back, exposing the lines of his neck which Victor latches on to quickly. Yuuri wraps his hands around Victor’s neck, threading his fingers into the hair at the base of Victor’s neck. He moans deeply as Victor bites down on the vein throbbing in his throat. Grinding his hips as Victor licks and sucks at the bundle of nerves near his ear, lighting his body up from head to toe in pleasure. 

Yuuri’s mouth hangs open, breath leaving him in huffs as Victor trails kisses down his neck. He felt as if Victor was targeting all of his ‘feel-good’ areas. Was that even possible? 

“Vi-Victor…” Yuuri leaned his head to the side, giving Victor even more access to his neck. Victor hums against his neck, pressing a particularly wet kiss at the dip of his collar bone. Victor squeezes his hands tighter around Yuuri’s hips, pressing him harder onto his lap. 

Victor knows his eyes are blown out from the pleasure of it all. Can feel his body heating up as he presses Yuuri onto himself. He looks up at Yuuri, taking in the sight of his eyes half-lidded, mouth still slightly open as he breathed deeply, a sheen of sweat on his forehead making it seem as if he was glowing. Victor thought he’d never seen a more ethereal being in his life. How could one person be so beautiful?

“Yuuri. Tell me what you want, Yuuri.” Victor halted his ministrations of Yuuri’s body, grabbing his chin, tilting his head so chocolate brown eyes met azure blue. 

Yuuri’s eyes go wide as he looks down into Victor’s, his nostrils flaring and his tongue darting out of his mouth, wetting his bottom lip. He leans into Victor’s touch, mouth working, but no words coming out yet. VIctor is a patient man, he waits for Yuuri to find his words. 

“You.” Yuuri whispers, his voice all breath. “ I want you, Victor.” Yuuri runs his hands through Victor’s hair, bringing them to the front of Victor’s face to cup his cheeks, “What do you want?”

He sounds nervous to Victor, as if there was anyone or anything in this world that Victor wanted more than this moment right now with the most beautiful man to ever grace his eyes sat on his lap. He smiled up at Yuuri, bringing him down into a kiss before answering, “I want you, too, moya zvezda.” 

Yuuri opened his eyes, peering curiously at Victor, but didn’t say anything. His hands still holding Victor’s cheeks slip down to rest on his chest then. Yuuri broke their kiss, leaning back slightly to gaze at Victor. “You’re so beautiful, Victor. Let me take care of you tonight. You’re always taking care of others, let me return the favor.” Yuuri drapes his body over Victor’s, peering down into those beautiful eyes that draw him in faster than any song ever could. Victor tilts his head back, keeping his eyes trained on Yuuri’s. “Would that be alright? Will you let me take care of you tonight?” 

Victor closes his eyes as he releases a long breath. He thinks back to Chris telling him he has to let Yuuri in if he wants this to go anywhere. He knows he could never shut Yuuri out, never withhold anything about himself from the man, but that doesn’t make this any easier. Yuuri’s words are full of good intentions, but still, Victor feels the twinge at the unsaid words of him not caring for himself. He can’t stop the irritation from rising in his chest.

“Why?” Victor mumbles as he turns his head to the side, opening his eyes only after he’s done so. “Why does everyone think I can't take care of myself? Do I really seem that fragile?” 

Yuuri leans back, knowing he’s somehow struck a nerve and that Victor needs space. He climbs off Victor’s lap, immediately mourning the loss of warmth between them, and sits next to him instead. Yuuri clasps his hands tightly in his lap, fighting every urge to reach out and touch Victor, somehow comfort him. 

“That’s not what I meant, Victor.” Yuuri’s voice sounds small even to himself. Victor shifts, returning to face Yuuri. “I know it isn’t, Yuuri. I’m sorry. I always get irritated when people try to take care of me. I know I’m not the best at it, but for what I’ve been through, I think I’m doing pretty damn good.” Victor falls silent after he says that, eyes down on his hands in his lap. 

Yuuri reaches out then, a tentative hand wrapping around Victor’s. “I think you’re doing the best you can, but you’re only one person. It doesn’t hurt to let someone help you out every once in a while, you know. Even if it’s just company at night like at the coffee shop. Anything you need, Victor, I will never turn you away.” 

Victor’s mind spins with questions: ‘why?’ ‘why me?’ What makes me so special to you that you would go so far to help me?’ 

‘What about you?’

He doesn’t say any of these, instead wrapping his hands around Yuuri’s and pulling him back in for a kiss so tender he’s scared of the implications it might have. 

Yuuri leans into the kiss, pushing lightly on Victor to get him to lie down. It takes some adjusting, but they manage, never breaking the kiss. Yuuri reaches back, grabbing for one of Victor’s hands from where they rest on his hips. He laces their fingers together, lightly kissing each knuckle. 

“Does this mean I can take care of you tonight?” Yuuri whispers, nervous that Victor might still say no. He’s delighted, however, when Victor brings their joined hands to his mouth and kisses Yuuri’s knuckles in turn while nodding ‘yes.’

Yuuri’s heart has relocated to his throat as he smiles down at the man splayed beneath him. He dives down and connects their lips in a searing kiss that leaves them both panting for air when they separate. Yuuri fingers at the buttons of Victor’s shirt, the silent question answered just as wordlessly when the man nips at Yuuri’s bottom lip and looks into his eyes.

Yuuri wastes no time then, slipping his hands under the fabric of Victor’s suspenders, sliding them off with ease before unbuttoning Victor’s shirt with deft fingers. 

Yuuri has never been more thankful for Phichit meeting a man who had a single friend. 

Victor has never been more thankful of Chris making him go out to dance at night than he was at this moment. 

Victor arches his back as Yuuri pushes the fabric off his chest. He pulls his arms out, the shirt now forgotten beneath him as he focuses his attention on getting Yuuri out of his shirt. Yuuri is smiling down at Victor like he hung the stars this very night. The emotion written clear as day on his face as Victor works at the buttons of the man’s shirt. It’s strange, Victor thinks. Nobody has ever looked at him like this. The emotions are so deep. So genuine and raw. There was nothing superficial about Yuuri it seemed. 

Maybe this could work out after all, Victor muses to himself. Perhaps letting himself fall for this man wouldn’t end in fire and flames. Maybe he has a shot at happiness again, only this time in the form of a man who looked so adoringly at Victor it almost hurt. 

Victor lost himself fully in the moment, allowing his body to move based on instinct and in response to Yuuri’s many touches. He felt himself relax for the first time in he didn’t even know how long anymore. Everything with Yuuri felt right. It was as if this man knew exactly how to work Victor. Knew everything he needed and when he needed it. 

Victor feels Yuuri’s hand as it snakes down his chest and towards his waistband. He groans into their kiss and arches his back, giving a silent “go ahead” for Yuuri to continue as he is. Yuuri hums as his hand meets the fabric. 

Yuuri makes quick work of Victor’s pants and is making his way down Victor’s body, trailing kisses the whole way. Victor huffs his breath out. It had been so long since he’s felt pleasure so intense. It was hard for him to focus on anything beyond Yuuri’s touch. Not that he wanted to, though. Every kiss left a searing sensation on Victor’s skin, as if his body was mapping each press of Yuuri’s lips. 

“Your skin is so beautiful, Victor.” Yuuri said, his lips ghosting just above Victor’s naval. “I’m so lucky to have you here with me right now.” Yuuri continued making his way down Victor’s body, leaving kisses and light scrapes as he went. 

Finally fully between Victor’s legs, Yuuri looked up at Victor as he pulled the elastic of Victor’s boxers off. Victor arched his back to speed the process up and inhaled sharply when his length was exposed to the cool air of the room. 

Yuuri licked his lips and licked a long stripe from base to tip. Victor groaned and fought the urge to buck his hips lest he hit Yuuri. Yuuri leant back further, pressing his face into Victor’s right thigh and nipping at the sensitive skin there. He chased each bite with a press of his tongue and a featherlight kiss. Victor felt himself getting more aroused if that was even possible at the moment, grasping at the fabric of the couch for something to ground himself with. 

Yuuri worked his way back up and began licking Victor's balls, tracing the line with his tongue. This drew a long, deep moan from Victor’s throat that he wasn’t sure where had come from, but he didn’t much care at the moment. Yuuri repeated the action again before licking up Victor’s length and wrapping his lips around the head. 

Victor brought his right hand up and stroked Yuuri’s face. Yuuri closed his eyes and went down, taking all of Victor into his mouth and to the back of his throat, not gagging once. Victor’s eyes slid shut and his breathing sped up. Yuuri didn’t stay down long, bringing his head back up to catch his breath. 

He didn’t stop either, though. He began bobbing his head up and down, dragging his tongue along as he did. His warm mouth worked Victor like a fiddle. It wasn’t until he felt his climax coming on that Victor realized just how long it had been since he’d gotten off and that it had taken Yuuri scant minutes to get Victor to this point. 

As if he knew, Yuuri slowed his pace and let Victor settle, letting his climax recede for the time being. Yuuri came off with a wet pop and a crooked grin up at Victor. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back to finish what I started, but I figured I shouldn’t let you off that easy. I want to take care of you, but I also want to have fun with you.” 

Victor was breathing hard, looking up at Yuuri but not saying a word. Yuuri crawled up his body like a cat stalking its prey, his eyes alight as he stared Victor down. Victor’s nerves were on fire, but he felt too good to do anything other than smile up at him. 

Yuuri slid his hands slowly up Victor’s body, relishing the chills he felt rise on Victor’s flesh. Looking down on Victor’s body, he couldn’t believe how beautiful the man beneath him was. How the man stayed fit was beyond him with the hours the man seemed to work, but more than that, Yuuri was amazed at how pale Victor’s skin was. Almost porcelain looking. Either way, he adored the man beneath him. 

As much as Yuuri would love to stare at this man and map his body all night, he’d promised to take care of Victor tonight. Leaning down, Yuuri captured Victor’s mouth with his and started kissing him deeply. Victor moaned into the kiss, leaning up into Yuuri’s body and wrapping an arm around his neck. 

Victor couldn’t help but push his tongue into Yuuri’s warm mouth, wanting to taste himself in that beautiful mouth. The kiss heated up between them, hands roaming once more across bodies, Yuuri grinding down against Victor in a slow, maddening rhythm. Victor nipped at Yuuri’s lips, getting anxious for his release. 

As if he could read Victor’s mind, Yuuri smiled and pulled away from the kiss. Yuuri reached his hand up and held Victor’s cheek, staring into those gorgeous sea blue eyes. Yuuri began to trace kisses from Victor’s forehead, down his cheeks to his neck, kissing down then along Victor’s collarbone. Making it to the center of Victor’s chest, Yuuri continued making his way down to Victor’s naval and ever so slowly traced kisses down and back to Victor’s length. 

Victor was breathing harder now, his hips grinding against the air, searching for any kind of friction. Victor let out a moan that made Yuuri want to fuck him senseless. Controlling himself for the night, Yuuri wrapped his lips around Victor’s dripping head once again, tracing his tongue along the slit, licking up the precum spilling out. Victor’s breath stuttered out with a broken moan. He fought hard not to buck his hips and shove his dick further into Yuuri’s mouth and back down his throat. 

Yuuri moaned onto Victor and then took the length into his mouth and straight to the base again. Yuuri licked his tongue around the base before starting to bob up and down in an even rhythm. He slid one hand up Victor’s thigh, coming up between his legs to massage Victor’s balls in his hand. As Yuuri did, he began to move faster along Victor’s dick, trying to coax him back to his climax. 

Victor bucked his hips shallowly, barely holding on to enough of his mental to not slam into Yuuri’s throat. Yuuri matched Victor’s thrusts expertly, increasing the pleasure of it all. Victor let out another moan before unceremoniously announcing that he was very close. 

“Ah, Yuuri. I- fuck, I’m close, Yuuri.” VIctor panted out in warning for Yuuri. All he got in response was a moan against him that reverberated in his dick and through his stomach, making him feel all the better. Not long after that, Victor couldn’t hold out much longer. Yuuri came up and sucked on Victor’s head before sliding down quickly once more as Victor came. 

Yuuri helped Victor ride out his climax for as long as he could before coming up Victor’s body. He smiled warmly down at the man who was still in a state of bliss. Yuuri peppered light kisses along Victor’s brow, gentle so as not to disturb the high Victor was experiencing. 

Yuuri curled up next to Victor on the sofa, tracing meaningless patterns on Victor’s chest while the other man came back to his senses fully. 

Yuuri smiled again at Victor, willing his adoration for the man to carry through the smile. Victor smiled back, breathing hard still, but seemingly happy. Victor reached his hand up and ran his fingers through Yuuri’s hair. Victor placed a kiss on Yuuri’s forehead, holding him close while he did. 

“Wow.” Victor said lamely. “I had no idea you’d take such good care of me like that.” Victor smiled and laughed lightly before rolling over and fully hugging Yuuri and placing more and more kisses on his forehead. 

Yuuri nuzzled into Victor’s chest, placing kisses of his own everywhere he could reach in the tight embrace Victor had him in. Yuuri let Victor hold him like that for as long as Victor needed. Never daring to disturb the good mood Victor seemed to be in. 

Victor loosened up his grip on Yuuri, finally remembering that they were still in the club.  
Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to care. As long as he was with Yuuri, he didn’t care where in the world he was. 

“You know,” Yuuri began speaking into the silence in the room, “you inspire me to be a better man. You make me want to dance better than I ever have before. I usually don’t dance with other men aside from my best friend, but when I’m with you, I want nothing more than to dance every number with you by my side.” 

Yuuri knew he was rambling. Knew he might be pushing his luck with the man next to him, but he didn’t care. He wanted this man to know how he felt. Needed Victor to know. 

Pressing on, Yuuri continued, “I want you to feel the way you make me feel. I know you’re a busy man and work hard every day, but I want to be able to bring joy into your life the way you’ve brought joy to mine.” 

Yuuri stopped there, not wanting to say any more than that until Victor said something. 

Victor’s silence was deafening to Yuuri’s ears. He began to feel unsettled and like he’d gone too far. He was working himself up in his mind, not knowing whether to say more or just keep his mouth shut. 

Just as he was about to cave and say something else, Victor’s voice cut through the silence in the room. 

“I’ve been unsure about how I feel and how you’ve felt about me. I haven’t let myself feel anything for anyone in a very long time. I throw myself in my work to escape my thoughts and feelings.” Victor paused, trying to gather his thoughts before saying more. He remembered Chris telling him that he deserved to be happy and that he needed to let people in again. Yuuri kept silent while Victor thought about what he wanted to say next.

Finally choosing his words, Victor spoke up again, “I have long thought that I don’t deserve to be loved anymore. I thought I’d cut off my emotions for people outside of my close friends, but you’ve made me feel things I haven’t in a while. That night we walked together after getting coffee, I was so spaced out because I was thinking about you. You’re very distracting, you know.” Victor let out a breath like he was laughing, combing his fingers through Yuuri’s hair once again. 

Yuuri smiled and waited for Victor to continue. Victor seemed to not want to say anything more on the matter. Just as Yuuri was going to speak up again, Victor opened his mouth, “After tonight, I have no doubt that I have feelings for you, and I’m going to assume that the feeling is mutual now. I would still enjoy continuing our dance lessons together, but my schedule will not change, so I will still be busy. I have to admit though, I’m a bit too tired to keep talking on this matter for now, so how would you feel about coming back to my place for the night?”

Yuuri was all too happy to oblige. “Victor, are you asking me to go home with you?” “I am. I want you next to me tonight,” Victor replied like he wasn’t turning Yuuri’s entire world on its head right now. 

“Of course I’ll go home with you.” Yuuri went to get up, but Victor tightened his grip around him, holding him in place where they lay. He made a confused noise and Victor hugged him close. 

“Thank you, Yuuri.” Victor kissed Yuuri again before they got up and left the club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to see chapters up sooner, I'd love to have someone help with the story. It does take a bit to get chapters up because I don't especially have an end-goal yet and write chapters as I go. If you're interested, you can reach me on twitter @TheGreatMisty

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my first fic! This isn't beta'd, so apologies for errors. If you have any tips/comments on the piece, I'd love to hear them (:  
> The first song that Yuuri and Minako are dancing to is Geraldine's Routine by Tape Five, and the song Victor and Yuuri dance to is Goodnight Moon by Boogie Belgique.


End file.
